12th-seeded McNeese State cruised to a 69-67 upset victory against 5th-seeded Clemson last night in the NCAA Tournament. This allowed ESPN’s social media pages to spotlight student manager Amir Khan, and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders took notice.
The Legend of Amir Khan Grows After First-Round Win
Khan has made a name for himself in the regular season’s final weeks and into the tournament. On Feb. 24, Phillip Mitchell Jr., McNeese State’s assistant AD for creative media, posted a video to Twitter showing the men’s basketball team before their game against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, jumping and dancing with Khan while he adorned a large speaker blasting Lud Foe’s “In & Out.”
Never felt this much hype before a game—easily one of my all-time favorite filming moments😂🔥@McNeeseMBB x #BayouBandits pic.twitter.com/NSqphtjFlP
— “Who is PJ?” 🎞 (@Phil_UpOnMe) February 24, 2025
Since then, Khan has been the center of attention during the Cowboy’s 12-game win streak. Unlike Sister Jean for Loyola Chicago in 2018, however, Khan works for the team, which allows viewers to gaze upon his bio page, which reads: “If they kept manager stats for rebounding and wiping up wet spots on the floor, I’d put up Wilt Chamberlain numbers.”
Shedeur Shouts Out The Nation’s Most Famous Student Manager
After McNeese ended Clemson’s season on Thursday, ESPN posted a photo to its Instagram page showing Khan wearing several diamond-clad necklaces and a watch. A highly touted NFL draft prospect, Sanders made sure to show respect to the manager by posting the photo to his Instagram story with the caption “Legendary.”
On May 7, 2024, Sanders released a song titled “Perfect Timing.” In the chorus of that song, the future first-round pick describes the expensive items he’s procured as a top football player in the NIL era.
With Khan’s iced-up photo drawing comparisons to Sanders’ tune, it was only right that he became the first student manager to sign an NIL deal. Earlier this week, assistant Reed Vial announced that the student manager signed up for Buffalo Wild Wings, Tick Pick, and Insomnia Cookies. With his popularity rising daily, Khan sometimes takes a moment to soak it all in.
“It’s been absolutely surreal,” Khan told Kyle Hightower for AP News. “I’ve been a big March Madness fan for my whole life. And just to be here and have the attention on me, it’s more than I’d ever imagined.”
KEEP READING: McNeese vs. Purdue Predictions: Can the Cowboys Cement Themselves as a Cinderella Team?
No matter how far McNeese State goes in the tournament, the man nicknamed “Aura” will be a major part of the final story. The Cowboys will play fourth-seeded Purdue on March 22 for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen at 12:10 p.m. on CBS.
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