Frank Wilson was a wanted man.

He went from the hot seat in Lake Charles to driver’s seat in Baton Rouge and took a Brinks truck to get there.

On Tuesday, Wilson resigned as the McNeese State head football coach after a shotgun courtship with his former school LSU and its new man, Brian Kelly. Now we know why.

Wilson signed a three-year deal with an average salary of $950,000 a year, according to reports from a term sheet released by LSU.

As the McNeese head coach Wilson was making roughly $200,000. His Cowboys teams went 7-11 over two seasons, both played in 2021 due to COVID-19 canceling the 2020 fall campaign.

Those were the first two losing seasons in 16 years for McNeese, and with the hopes of moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision soon, pressure for a quick on-field turnaround was mounting.

Wilson’s time at McNeese was tough, having a lot of off-field issues to deal with, mostly due to weather disasters. However, in the end, it all proved profitable for the now-LSU associate head football coach.

Wilson joked about that during his season-ending news conference when he said “I’m not hot now baby,” in response to a question about his future and possible movement. Apparently he still was.

Wilson had two years remaining on his four-year contract with McNeese. Terms of the buyout have not been made public yet, but sources told the American Press LSU made the move profitable for the Cowboys as well.

Wilson, who will serve mainly as the Tigers’ head of recruiting, will earn a base salary of $400,000 annually, with supplemental compensation of $500,000 in the first year. The supplemental number will increase by $50,000 each season until the end of the deal.

LSU will also pay Wilson a prorated amount for this month which has been reported to be about $75,000. Wilson could also earn up to an additional $100,000 in incentives if the Tigers were to win a national title.

“I have exchanged texts with Frank and have wished him well,” Mc-Neese State President Dr. Daryl Burckel said. “It was a great opportunity for him and his family to go back to LSU. He had great success there before so he should do great again.”

Wilson made a name for himself as the top recruiter for LSU during his first six-year tenure with the program. He will help Kelly, a former Notre Dame head coach, who has little knowledge of the Louisiana prep football landscape. Wilson, a New Orleans native, becomes a key member of Kelly’s staff because of his experience and relationships in the state.

McNeese Athletic Director Heath Schroyer said he is performing a national search for Wilson’s replacement. He said he is pleasantly surprised by the number of quality candidates interested in the McNeese job.

“I am amazed by the response and the quality of them,” Schroyer said. “I will continue to do my due diligence to make sure we get the right fit for McNeese and the community.”

Schroyer has said there is no timetable for a decision only that he was working off a short list and hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

“We have to find the right person,” Schroyer said. “We have to get this right. When we do that, we will make the announcement.”