Wait. Stop. Before we talk about who almost took the job, we have to talk about how we even got here. It feels like a lifetime ago that Kevin Keatts was cutting down the nets in Dallas, punching a ticket to the 2024 Final Four. That run was pure magic. It was the "Why not us?" energy that defines the Wolfpack. But college basketball is a "what have you done for me lately" business, and the 2024-25 season was, honestly, a total car crash.
NC State went 12-19. They didn't even make the ACC Tournament. From the Final Four to the basement in less than twelve months. On March 9, 2025, Boo Corrigan pulled the plug. Keatts was out, and suddenly, one of the most passionate (and sometimes chaotic) fanbases in the country was staring at a blank whiteboard.
Everyone had a theory. The NC State basketball coach candidates list was everywhere—from message boards to national insider columns. People wanted a savior. They wanted someone who could handle the shadow of the 1983 championship but live in the modern NIL era.
The Will Wade Factor and the Finalists
Let’s be real: the search started and ended with one name for a lot of people. Will Wade.
Coming off what he did at McNeese State—turning them into a mid-major juggernaut while serving out his NCAA show-cause—Wade was the "bad boy" candidate. He has baggage. Everyone knows about the FBI wiretaps from his LSU days. But he wins. He recruits like a demon. For an NC State program tired of being the "third" school in the Triangle, that "us against the world" mentality was a perfect fit.
💡 You might also like: When is the 2028 Olympics? What Most People Get Wrong
But he wasn't the only one in the mix. During those frantic weeks in March 2025, the shortlist was actually pretty diverse:
- Ryan Odom (VCU): The guy who engineered the UMBC upset over Virginia. He has deep North Carolina roots. He’s safe, he’s tactical, and he doesn't come with NCAA investigators on his speed dial.
- Justin Gainey (Tennessee Assistant): The "one of our own" candidate. Gainey played for State in the late 90s. He knows the building. He knows the pressure. But as an assistant under Rick Barnes, the question was always: can he handle the big chair in Raleigh?
- Ben McCollum (Drake): The DII legend who finally moved up. People call him a "tactical genius." He was the dark horse that purists loved, but some worried he didn't have the recruiting chops for the ACC.
Why the Search Felt Different This Time
The 2025 search wasn't like the 2017 one that landed Keatts. Back then, it was about finding a "winner." In 2025, it was about finding a "survivor."
College sports changed. Between the transfer portal and NIL, a coach isn't just a guy with a whistle anymore; he's a GM and a fundraiser. Boo Corrigan knew that if he missed on this hire, the gap between State and the "blue bloods" would become a canyon.
✨ Don't miss: UNC Georgia Tech Football: Why This Rivalry Always Gets Weird
The fans were split. Half the crowd at the Lenovo Center (formerly PNC Arena) wanted the hire to be "clean." The other half didn't care if the coach was actively under investigation as long as he beat Duke and Carolina. That's the NC State experience in a nutshell.
The Reality of the "Wolfpack Job"
It’s a tough gig. You have a fanbase that remembers 1974 and 1983 like they were yesterday. You have a local media market that is obsessed. And you have to play in the same backyard as Jon Scheyer and Hubert Davis.
When you look at the NC State basketball coach candidates who actually took the interview, they all had to answer the same question: How do you sustain success? Keatts showed you can have a "lighting in a bottle" month. But the 5-15 ACC record that followed proved that the foundation wasn't there.
👉 See also: NFL Expert Picks Against the Spread: What Most People Get Wrong
Will Wade eventually got the nod, as we saw him on the sidelines this 2025-26 season. It was a polarizing move, sure. But looking at the current 12-6 record and that massive 113-69 blowout win at Florida State earlier this month, the "Wade Era" is at least providing the sparks people craved.
What to Watch for Next
If you're following the Pack right now, the search is over, but the evaluation never ends. The team is currently sitting at 3-2 in the ACC after a tough loss to Georgia Tech yesterday. The "candidates" are now the guys Wade is recruiting—players like Paul McNeil Jr. and Matt Able, who chose to stay through the transition.
For fans, the lesson of 2025 is simple: the coaching search is only as good as the roster retention that follows.
Next Steps for Fans:
- Monitor the ACC standings as the Pack heads into a brutal stretch against Clemson and Virginia.
- Check the NIL collectives (like One Pack) to see how the program is supporting the new staff's recruiting efforts.
- Keep an eye on the transfer portal windows—Wade is known for being aggressive there, and the spring window will be the first real test of his long-term roster building at State.