McNeese's Viral Student Manager Is Back for His Second Consecutive NCAA Tournament
Most college students spend March Madness filling out brackets and skipping class to watch games.
Amir “Aura” Khan spent it fielding calls from brands, signing endorsement deals, and becoming the most viral figure in the entire NCAA tournament — all while holding the title of student manager.
Not point guard. Not team captain. Student manager.
If you’re a college student trying to figure out how to turn a personal brand into a real opportunity, Khan’s story is worth your attention. Not because it’s a fairy tale, but because it’s a blueprint: messy credit transfers, uncertain career plans, and all.
A Boombox, a Song, and a Viral Moment
Khan is the student manager for the McNeese Cowboys men’s basketball team. He grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, just a few miles from McNeese’s campus, and is currently enrolled at McNeese State University.
He went viral in February 2025 after posting a video of himself leading the Cowboys onto the court against Texas A&M–Corpus Christi while playing “In & Out” by Lud Foe on a blue boombox hanging from his neck.
That single clip exploded. As McNeese secured a March Madness bid, so did Khan’s fame — to a degree that most student-athletes, let alone student managers, never experience.
McNeese’s cheerleaders were wearing shirts with his face on them. Players were wearing socks with his face on them. His bio on McNeese’s official website describes him as “the most talked-about college basketball manager in the country.”
“It feels like a dream and I’m going to wake up one day,” Khan told Front Office Sports this week. “It doesn’t feel real.”
And on the court? Khan keeps it light.
“If they kept manager stats for rebounding and wiping up wet spots on the court, I’d put up Wilt Chamberlain numbers,” Khan said, per his McNeese bio.
The Student Manager With 20+ Brand Deals
Khan executed more than 20 endorsement deals during the 2025 tournament run, per Front Office Sports. Partners include Buffalo Wild Wings, TickPick, TurboTax, and Insomnia Cookies.
Buffalo Wild Wings — a brand that could partner with any star athlete in the country — chose to work with a student manager because his presence, personality, and moment resonated with audiences.
Khan’s personal favorites? A bobblehead made in his likeness and a Topps sports card deal.
“I collected sports cards as a kid,” Khan told FOS. “To have my own, and it to be for Topps, it’s special. I don’t think there’s anything like that.”
Topps doesn’t hand out sports cards to just anyone. For a student manager — someone who typically receives no compensation, though some can earn scholarships — to land that kind of recognition speaks to the power of authenticity and timing in the creator economy.
The NCAA has never prohibited managers from signing NIL deals, but managers rarely have enough public profile to attract endorsers. Khan is believed to be the first student manager to benefit from tournament NIL deals.
The NIL era began in 2021, allowing players and viral figures like Khan to profit during March Madness. Khan didn’t change the rules. He just became the first person in his position with enough visibility to take advantage of them.
After the deals started rolling in, Khan made a move that any aspiring creator should note: he hired a manager to handle brand interest. He professionalized his operation.
Amir ‘Aura’ Khan Tested His Fame at NC State
After the 2025 tournament run, Khan followed McNeese’s former head coach Will Wade to NC State. It didn’t go as planned.
He was re-enrolled as a sophomore at NC State due to credit transfer issues — a setback that anyone who’s transferred schools knows can be both frustrating and disorienting.
Khan transferred back to McNeese after a few months, and he’ll complete his degree in just a few more semesters.
But first on his plate is another March Madness run.
McNeese finished the 2025-2026 regular season with a 28-5 record, tied with Stephen F. Austin. SFA had a slight edge in conference play — SFA was 20-2, while McNeese was 19-3.
McNeese secured a March Madness bid by upsetting SFA in the Southland conference tournament, winning the school’s third consecutive Southland championship.
Khan, boombox and all, will return for his second straight tournament. The team is a No. 12 seed again, facing No. 5 seed Vanderbilt on March 19.
For context on the team’s recent trajectory: the Cowboys earned the No. 12 seed during the 2024-2025 season with a 28-6 record, going 19-1 in Southland Conference play and winning the Southland Conference Tournament championship.
It was the team’s second in a row under then-coach Wade.
McNeese quickly became a fan favorite because of Khan, which was heightened with their upset in the first round over No. 5 seed Clemson. It was the school’s first-ever March Madness win.
McNeese was eliminated in the Round of 32 by Purdue, coming up short of their first Sweet 16 appearance.
Now Khan gets another shot on the biggest stage in college basketball with an even bigger profile than last year.
What’s Next for Amir ‘Aura’ Khan?
Khan is interested in a career in sports media or coaching. He hopes to be hired by McNeese as a graduate assistant next year. But he’s also keeping the door open.
“With everything that’s happened over the last year, it’s opened the door [to] being on social media as a career. What that would look like, I don’t know,” Khan said.
That honesty is worth more than any polished pitch. Khan isn’t pretending he has it all figured out. He has a degree to finish, a graduate assistant role he’s pursuing, and a social media career he’s genuinely considering without knowing exactly what shape it would take.
His newfound fame, agent, and experiences have opened new doors, and he’s navigating them in real time.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
