Will Wade needs to rebuild NC State’s roster. Here’s what to expect
Will Wade has a solid recruiting philosophy in place, and he’s already gotten started recruiting players for upcoming N.C. State rosters.
Wade said during his introductory news conference that the team’s composition will rely heavily on the transfer portal in the first one or two seasons, but he doesn’t want that to be the case every season.
The new head coach said the ideal situation includes recruiting two or three freshmen per class; one “impact player” and one or two developmental players. Then they would pursue three or four athletes in the transfer portal to replace any outgoing players. The rest of the roster would be players the staff has retained through recruiting and previous portal pickups. Wade hopes that by year three this is the method his staff can use.
“That’s the formula to building a good program and good team, but (for) the first two years, that’s not how this is going to be,” Wade said.
This is far different than how recruiting and roster management was done in previous years; programs are re-recruiting their own players each season. Wade said coaches are no longer building programs but simply building a team each year and trying to keep as many players as they can.
Wade said N.C. State has the tools it needs to be successful. It has a strong formula for recruiting, good facilities and infrastructure, it’s located in a “fertile” recruiting area, and it has engaged fans and financial backers.
The program expects to have $6 million to $8 million in NIL funding — Kevin Keatts only had $2 million to work with — and expects to have additional money through revenue sharing.
Wade knows N.C. State still won’t have the biggest coffers, but it’ll still have plenty.
“We’re going to be competitive at the upper end of this league, and we’re going to be competitive nationally with our NIL and with revenue sharing,” Wade said. “This is about being able to efficiently use the resources that we have, and we’re going to have enough resources to officially build a very, very good basketball team.”
Trey Parker and Paul McNeil are the only scholarship players remaining for the 2025-26 roster. Dennis Parker Jr., Bryce Heard, Ismael Diouf, Marcus Hill, Mike James and Ben Middlebrooks all entered the transfer portal.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, Michael O’Connell, Dontrez Styles and Jayden Taylor exhausted their eligibility. Middlebrooks, who started his career in 2021, is seeking a waiver for an additional season.
Wade called himself an advocate of players utilizing the transfer portal and seeking different opportunities. He also supports players entering the portal and returning to their current institution, if that still ends up being the right place.
“I told someone, ‘Hey, you put your name in the portal, we’ll still meet,’” Wade said. “I’m not one of those [coaches], once your name’s in the portal, you could never come back.”
It’s unclear whether any players from the Keatts era will return. Heard and Hill still have N.C. State basketball listed in their social media profiles.
RJ Greer decommitted from the Wolfpack after Keatts’ termination. Four-star recruit Zymicah Wilkins signed in the fall and remains committed to the program.
Alyn Breed, formerly at Providence and McNeese State, committed to the Wolfpack this week. The staff is expected to spend four to six weeks evaluating and recruiting players.
What Wade wants in a player
Regardless of who returns, who the staff adds out of the portal or which freshmen the staff recruits, Wade is also clear in the type of players he wants.
Wade said he likes to recruit players who have experienced adversity in their personal lives. Every player and position is different, but that is often an indicator of someone who can overcome sport-related challenges.
“We want guys that are gritty, grimy; guys that are tough,” Wade said. “I always say you don’t put championship rings on smooth fingers. You’ve gotta get your hands in the mud. You gotta dig in there. We want guys that are gonna do that and represent who we are.”
More than anything, he wants good players who believe N.C. State is the best program in the country and commit to the vision of winning “extremely big and fast.” The staff can develop guys, Wade said, if they’re fully invested in the vision of where he wants the program to be.
“Whoever that is, we’ll coach them and love them up, and get them ready to compete at the top of the ACC,” Wade said.
The transfer portal opened March 24 and closes April 22.
This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 7:56 PM with the headline "Will Wade needs to rebuild NC State’s roster. Here’s what to expect."
