Amir Khan and the Business Side of Virality in College Sports

By: Talia Black

April 25th, 2025

Photo Credit: MSN

In a March Madness year where the typical Cinderella stories and buzzer-beating upsets were hard to come by, one unlikely individual captivated the media’s attention: Amir Khan, a student manager for the No. 12 seed McNeese State Cowboys. In a now-viral clip from February, Khan was captured leading the Cowboys out of the tunnel before a game, a large boombox wrapped around his neck while rapping the lyrics to Lud Foe's "In & Out.” The McNeese State players become increasingly hyped up as they take notice of Khan's perfect recitation of the song, rapping along with him before taking the floor against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Within just 12 hours of the scene being posted on Phillip Mitchell Jr.'s account, McNeese State’s assistant athletic director for creative media, the video garnered over a million views and only continued to skyrocket from there (ESPN). Within a week, Amir Khan had become college basketball’s latest viral sensation. 

Fast forward to the start of the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, and McNeese State has since secured a 12-seed in March Madness after becoming Southland Conference tournament champions for the second straight year under head coach Will Wade. Since the infamous boombox video posted less than a month earlier, Khan had become a recognizable name in college basketball, known to fans nationwide for his viral pregame routine and distinctive look, complete with wired glasses and a shorter stature. 

As Khan continued to replicate this viral moment during future McNeese State pregame walkouts with rap songs of his choosing, companies quickly took notice and began seeking him out for Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals — the first known student manager to ink standalone deals of this kind. Buffalo Wild Wings was the first to reach out, eager to capitalize on the viral moment ahead of the NCAA tournament and providing Khan with a customized boombox to help lead the Cowboys out of the tunnel (Bleacher Report). It wasn’t long before other brands joined in on the action, including Insomnia Cookies and ticket marketplace TickPick, who had never sponsored a college NIL deal before, let alone a partnership with a non-athlete (ESPN). These endorsements all came before McNeese State’s first-round matchup against 5-seed Clemson even tipped off. 

By the start of the highly anticipated 5 vs. 12 game in Providence, Rhode Island, it is more than likely that to the average viewer, Khan was one of the most recognizable figures associated with McNeese State. The Cowboys were widely considered one of the most dangerous high seeds poised to pull off a first-round upset, especially factoring in their win streak of 11 straight going into the game. And it’s clear that streak wasn’t a fluke as McNeese State absolutely dominated Clemson in the first twenty minutes, going into halftime up 31-13. Coming back out with a sizable lead, the Cowboys didn’t let the Tigers find their rhythm until the final seven minutes, at which point Clemson’s hot three-point shooting was almost enough to erase a deficit that got as high as 24 points. Even with the close call, McNeese State pulled off the 12-5 seed upset over Clemson, winning 69-67 in a game that definitely lived up to the hype. 

It was clear Khan’s fifteen seconds of fame would not be over quite yet. In the locker room celebration after the big upset, Khan got the honors of pasting the McNeese sticker onto the bracket board and getting sprayed with water as he danced in the middle of the team circle, boombox still in hand. Players were seen holding up graphic tees with Khan’s face in post game interviews, part of a branded merch collection with Rock ‘Em Socks that also includes custom socks. Everyone was on board the Amir Khan hype train, ready to profit off of the online sensation. 

Dressed head to toe in a custom yellow Under Armour jumpsuit complete with his nickname “Aura” emblazoned on the back, Amir Khan was certainly a sight to see heading into the second-round matchup between McNeese State and 4-seed Purdue two days later. TV cameras captured him sitting behind the McNeese State bench chatting with filmmaker and avid basketball fan Spike Lee. Though the Boilermakers maintained comfortable control the whole game, ultimately ending the Cowboys’ season and hopes of a deep tournament run, Khan had made his mark on the college basketball world. 

According to Reed Vial, special assistant to the head coach and the man in charge of McNeese State basketball’s NIL activities, Amir Khan received at least 12 NIL deals totalling well into the six-figure range. Prominent brands like Topps, Fortnite and TurboTax are just a few others Khan signed with ahead of the Purdue game. Vial says he received 135 phone calls the day before the second-round matchup and had to turn many of them down to focus on the big deals. Multiple brand deals were ready to go if McNeese State had beaten Purdue (Front Office Sports). In the midst of the mania, Khan is said to have stayed “humble and true to himself,” handling business as usual as much as one can when the internet has turned you into a national phenomenon. 

So, what does this all mean? At a time when fans were waiting for a Sister Jean-like figure to emerge as the face of the 2025 NCAA tournament, Amir Khan filled that gap, even if only for a brief moment. The prominence of social media combined with the onset of NIL in college sports has opened the door for anyone, even a student manager, to profit off of a viral moment if they get lucky enough. Brands are eager to throw their money at that day’s viral sensation, hoping to leverage an engaged fanbase for a quick marketing opportunity. In a time of digital information overload, trending moments pass in an instant, so the need to capitalize on them in real time is crucial for brands looking to stay relevant and resonate with their audience. Companies like Buffalo Wild Wings, TickPick, and Insomnia Cookies were smart to get ahead of the competition and sign Khan prior to the start of the NCAA tournament, betting on the potential of another viral surge and securing brand visibility at the exact moment the national spotlight turned toward him. 

Beyond its marketing impact, this turn of events demonstrated that student-athletes aren’t the only ones who can benefit from the NCAA’s NIL rules. More broadly, it highlighted how an unexpected moment caught on camera can become the catalyst for a number of future career opportunities. Khan went into managing on a whim after Coach Will Wade was hired at McNeese State. A lifelong LSU fan — especially of Wade’s teams during his time in Baton Rouge — Khan recognized that the opportunity to work under a coach like Wade was too good to pass up (KPLCTV). Now, after two years on Wade’s staff, that decision has clearly paid off. Khan has been offered to follow Wade to NC State in a graduate assistant role at NC State after his graduation this fall. His future remains unknown: according to Forbes, he has also received “significant interest” from NBA teams and plans to interview with at least five during next month’s NBA Scouting Combine for a “team attendant” position (On3). No matter which path he takes, Khan is in a great spot; he’s earned over $100,000 in NIL endorsements and will graduate college with job opportunities in both the NBA and college basketball. 

From McNeese State team manager to NIL success story, Amir Khan is living proof that you never know where one viral moment might take you, especially in March. And in an era where anything seems possible in college sports, it’ll be fascinating to see what unexpected story captures the nation’s attention next.