McNeese State head coaching candidates: Top 5 Will Wade replacements as HC departs hours after March Madness exit

Will Wade is heading to Raleigh after coaching his last game with McNeese State in a 76-62 loss against Purdue in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

The 42-year-old has signed a six-year deal to coach NC State, who failed to qualify in the 2025 March Madness one season after they made the Final Four (per CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein).

Wade is expected to be introduced in a press conference on Tuesday, a day after the NC State women's team finishes their games on Monday at the Reynolds Coliseum. He'll be bringing an excellent record of 244-105 during his 11-year career as coach of Chattanooga, VCU, LSU and McNeese State.

Various names have popped up to replace Will Wade at McNeese State and with this in mind, here are the top five replacements for the Cowboys coach:

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Top 5 Will Wade replacements as McNeese State head coach for 2025-26 college basketball season

#5. Kyle Neptune

Kyle Neptune hasn't been fortunate enough to handle mid-tier teams in his four seasons as head coach of Fordham and Villanova. The 40-year-old former video coordinator under two-time champion coach Jay Wright has a combined record of 70-63. There are times coaches have struck a fortune when they have been to two or three teams in the past (case in point: Will Wade).

A trip down the Southern Conference to call the shots for McNeese State could spark a renaissance for Neptune, who only needs a chance to prove himself. He recently accepted a gig as an analyst for CBS Sports in the second round of the 2025 March Madness.

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#4. Fran Dunphy

Fran Dunphy has been a veteran of NCAA college basketball wars since 1989. The 76-year-old has been in various NCAA Tournaments with Pennsylvania and Temple before stepping down as Owls coach in 2019.

Dunphy came back to coaching in 2022 to call the shots for La Salle and he wasn't fortunate. In 100 games, the Explorers compiled a record of 45-55 and could only place at best 10th place in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Just like Kyle Neptune, a trip down south could revitalize his energy and help McNeese State sustain its recent form.

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#3. Craig Smith

Craig Smith has 11 years of Division I coaching experience with South Dakota State, Utah State and Utah. His best stint was during his three-season stint with Utah State, where he guided the Aggies to three consecutive NCAA Tournament bids.

That achievement gave him the job as coach of Utah in 2021 but he wasn't able to bring his Aggies magic to the Utes. He was fired in the middle of the 2024-25 season after compiling a 65-62 record. Smith could help the Cowboys in recruiting due to his relentless style of enticing a prospect to commit to his team.

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#2. Justin Gainey

Justin Gainey was part of NC State as a player (1996-2000) and as a staff (2006-09). He is currently the associate head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers that is competing in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Despite having no prior coaching experience, Gainey is one of the best recruiters in the nation, securing the commitments of some top 50 prospects to Knoxville. He is one of the brains of the dreaded Volunteers defense that tops the nation in defensive efficiency per KenPom.

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#1. Sean Miller

Sean Miller has a ton of coaching experience tucked under his belt, serving a combined 20 seasons as chief tactician for Xavier and Arizona. He has guided the Musketeers and the Wildcats to 13 NCAA tournaments, including four Elite Eights and four Sweet 16s.

The 56-year-old has a career record of 487-196 and recruited NBA draft lottery-bound homegrown and international talents in college. These include Deandre Ayton, Lauri Markkanen, Bennedict Mathurin, Derrick Williams and Aaron Gordon.