Players aren’t the only ones whose lives could change in the March Madness spotlight.
McNeese State’s men’s basketball team is the latest Cinderella story to come out of the 2025 NCAA Tournament as the 12th-seeded Cowboys held off No. 5 seed Clemson on Thursday, 69-67, to secure the program’s first-ever NCAA victory in the opening round of the West Region.
Amir Khan, the team’s student manager, has captured the spotlight for his pregame tunnel walk with the players, which includes leading the team with his boombox blasting rap songs.
Amir Khan’s NIL deals
Khan — nicknamed “Aura” by the team — landed Name, Image and Likeness deals with Buffalo Wild Wings, Insomnia Cookies and TickPick.
He is the first student manager in history to ink an NIL deal with Buffalo Wild Wings, and the restaurant chain gifted him a boombox, which he used to lead the team’s walkout before they upset Clemson.
The song? “No Switch” by NBA YoungBoy.
The McNeese cheerleaders made waves on social media with their socks featuring Khan’s face on them while on the sidelines for their first-round clash in Providence, Rhode Island.
Cowboys guard Sincere Parker wore the same socks during the game.
An apparel collection featuring the now-viral socks and a retro Khan-centric T-shirt is currently available for purchase on Rock’em Socks.
“It’s crazy. Because I never would have imagined this would have ever happened,” Khan told The Associated Press postgame. “I appreciate them for wearing it. I appreciate all the love and support. And seeing them wearing it means a lot to me.”
Amir Khan shines as the ‘aura’ for McNeese
Khan has been referred to as a McNeese “celebrity” after his role with the team was thrust into the spotlight.
His pregame routine is a crucial part of getting the Cowboys in the right mindset to play.
“If they kept manager stats for rebounding and wiping up wet spots on the court, I’d put up Wilt Chamberlain numbers,” Khan said during a March Madness promo for CBS.
That quote is on a T-shirt for sale and is linked on the McNeese basketball website.
“Right before the team makes their last walk out to the court, I put the speaker over my head and carry it out… It’s something I can’t describe because I think aura is the energy you give off to other people. So I’m just going to keep doing my thing and let other people dictate whether I have aura or not.”
McNeese head coach Will Wade referred to Khan as “the man, the myth, the legend,” whose pregame walkouts get the players excited to play.
“It gets our guys excited, it gets our guys off to a fast start, if you don’t get off to a start it’s hard to play well,” Wade said.
How it started
Khan, a senior at McNeese and a Lake Charles, Louisiana native, is in his second season as a manager for the Cowboys.
He became a viral sensation when the school’s social media director recorded him holding his boombox while leading the team through the tunnel during a game last month.
The Cowboys (27-6) won the Southland Conference for the second straight season and punched their ticket to this year’s NCAA Men’s Tournament as the No. 12 seed.
In the team’s fourth overall appearance in the tournament, McNeese made history in 2025 with its first-ever win, something Khan said can’t be stripped from them no matter how far they go.
“I think that’s what makes the moment so special because of what happened last year. We definitely didn’t want a repeat,” Khan said. “We made history. No matter what happens from here, you can’t take that away.”
McNeese was routed by Georgia in a first-round loss last year.
Their Cinderella run continues Saturday when they take on No. 4 Purdue.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
