Grading new coaches: Will Wade's LSU roster doesn't have any players on it as transfer portal deadline nears

Wade earns an 'F' in our progress reports of how teams breaking in coaches have navigated the transfer portal

David Cobb

Apr 20, 2026

2:14 pm ET

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7 min read

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Will Wade's second tenure as LSU's coach is off to an inauspicious beginning as the Tigers enter his fourth week on the job without a single public commitment for their 2026-27 roster. LSU is the only high-major team that did not have a player in the fold as of Monday, which leaves Wade and his staff with significant work to do at a point when many of the sport's top free agents have already announced their destinations.

Of the top 100 transfers in the CBS Sports/247Sports rankings, 76 are off the board. The Tigers are in the mix for No. 4 ranked transfer Allen Graves from Santa Clara and No. 32 ranked transfer Paul McNeil from NC State, but there is competition for both. Duke is among those recruiting Graves, who has also declared for the NBA Draft.

Though Wade and McNeil have a preexisting relationship from this past season at NC State, North Carolina has also been in contact with McNeil, who has not ruled out a return to NC State.

It's no surprise to see that Wade isn't stocking up on former NC State players after he was critical of the Wolfpack's 2025-26 roster amid a 20-14 campaign defined by late-season struggles and a First Four exit from the NCAA Tournament. But it is surprising to see the Tigers without a single commitment as Wade approaches one month on the job.

College basketball transfer portal movement tracker: Grades for every top commitment from 2026 cycle

Cameron Salerno

Acquiring talent has never been a problem for Wade, who is now in his sixth head coaching tenure at just 43 years old. This roster construction will be different though. It will require a high-wire act to assemble a competitive team from the narrowing amount of top-level talent ahead of Tuesday's deadline for players to enter the transfer portal.

Here are the updated progress reports for all the high-major coaches in new jobs.

A lot of work left

LSU (Will Wade)

We are talking about Will Wade here. Typically, talent acquisition would be the least of your worries with Wade at the helm. But so far, it's been quiet in terms of actual commitments. It will be interesting to see what Wade has up his sleeve in the weeks ahead.

Early grade: F

Georgia Tech (Scott Cross)

Troy transfer Victor Valdes is following Cross to Georgia Tech after leading the Trojans in scoring (14.8) and assists (4.2) last season. The 6-7 guard is the only proven transfer in the fold thus far. But the Yellow Jackets also landed a commitment from Kayden Allen, the No. 50 prospect in the Class of 2026. The New York wing is one of Georgia Tech's 10 highest-ranked commits of the 247Sports era and is the type of player Cross couldn't land at Troy. Those are nice pieces, but there is still work to do if the Yellow Jackets are going to get out of the ACC cellar in Cross' first year.

Early grade: C

NC State (Justin Gainey)

A couple of important backcourt pieces are on the way as highly productive mid-major transfers Preston Edmead (Hofstra) and Christian Hammond (Santa Clara) enter after playing key roles on NCAA Tournament teams. The rest of the Wolfpack roster is a work in progress, but Gainey and his staff have been working the portal aggressively. If Wolfpack fans need a lift, just go check out how Will Wade's roster build is going at LSU.

Early grade: C

North Carolina (Michael Malone)

All eyes are on Henri Veesaar, the star big man who might be a preseason All-American if he returns to college basketball. If Veessaar stays with the Tar Heels, this grade will quickly rise. Keeping the 7-footer and potentially adding a high-octane guard like Utah transfer Terrence Brown Jr. would constitute major positive developments for a UNC roster construction that thus far is highlighted by the addition of Virginia Tech transfer Neoklis Avdalas, a big-bodied point guard with NBA upside.

Early grade: B-

Getting there

Providence (Bryan Hodgson)

In our first edition of first-year coach progress reports, I sang Hodgson's praises for his strong early work and then noted that Providence "still needs some size and another knockdown perimeter shooter." Well, since then, the Friars have checked both boxes. The addition of Buffalo transfer Ryan Sabol — one of the nation's premier 3-point shooters — supplied the shooter while the commitment of Northwestern transfer center Arrinten Page brought the size. This roster is officially rounding into form.

Early grade: A

Cincinnati (Jerrod Calhoun)

Cincinnati could still use a natural point guard and some proven rim protection. But Calhoun has already landed three top-200 transfers in Wake Forest shooting guard Myles Colvin (No. 76), George Mason big Riley Allenspach (No. 114) and Towson scoring forward Tyler Tejada (No.