McNeese viral student manager Amir ‘Aura’ Khan is back for March Madness
He was an enigma final 12 months. Now Amir “Aura” Khan is back. And so is his boombox.
McNeese (28-5) is dancing once more in 2026, and Khan will likely be there, rapping the soundtrack and main the Cowboys out along with his large, bedazzled boombox in tow.
In 2025, Khan led the workforce out whereas performing rap songs — every part from NBA YoungBoy to King Von and Lud Foe — with a cool demeanor that urged the Pakistani American was “with it.” Draped by teammates on both facet, with iced-out watches and chains stacked throughout his neck — jewellery he reportedly purchased with greater than $100,000 in NIL offers — Khan became as popular as the players themselves.
“I couldn’t have done any of that without them last year, the players promoted everything, they were so hype going into the walkout (to the court), and they wanted the most for me,” Khan advised reporters forward of the Cowboys’ first-round matchup with Vanderbilt. “That means a lot. Same thing with this group of guys. They want the moment to be special for me as well.
“It’s all about them. They’re those going out on the court docket and profitable it. Last 12 months, that group received the primary match recreation. Our teaching employees put within the recreation plan. I did not actually do something to assist with that, however they nonetheless wished to share the highlight with me, and which means rather a lot.”
Khan’s selfless sentiment is understood by the gamers who champion him. Senior guard DJ Richards Jr. was there final 12 months to see Khan’s rise as a viral sensation, however nonetheless sees the manager exhibiting humility within the limelight.
“It’s funny because I’ll be seeing things on Twitter, and they kind of portray him as someone that he’s not,” Richards advised reporters. “If you all could ask Amir right now, I’m pretty sure he would be so cool without all the attention, all the things. Everything came to him naturally.”
Khan’s rapture grew to become inseparable from Twelfth-seeded McNeese’s 69-67 upset of No. 5 seed Clemson within the first spherical and the 76-62 loss to No. 4-seeded Purdue that adopted within the subsequent spherical.
For a second, it appeared like his story would possibly transfer elsewhere. Khan adopted coach Will Wade from McNeese to NC State, however he returned shortly after when tutorial problems arose with transferring credit. Had he stayed at NC State, he’d need to be a sophomore, fairly than returning to McNeese as an instructional senior and ending his journey the place it began.
“I decided to come back just because it’s home,” Khan mentioned. “I live in Lake Charles, five minutes away from campus. The community and people of Lake Charles are amazing. Every game day, they pack our arena out, and it’s a special feeling. So why not continue to do it until I graduate?”
Khan’s movie star grew even after McNeese bowed out final March. He landed greater than 20 NIL offers, including to the jewellery and leaning additional into the picture, styling himself within the likeness of the rappers he blasted by way of his boombox.
“A lot of people are going to come to him, but if y’all really have a conversation with him, you know he’s really not that type of guy,” Richards mentioned. “We told him to put on the speaker one day. He knew the words, and then he just ran with it that day.”
Last week, McNeese beat Stephen F. Austin 76-59 to win the Southland Conference match for the third consecutive season and clinch one other journey to the NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys are seeded Twelfth once more, this time going through fifth-seeded Vanderbilt. Khan will likely be there once more, boombox in hand, able to soundtrack one other run.
A brand new scoring engine leads the Cowboys in redshirt freshman Larry Johnson. The former four-star recruit initially dedicated to Creighton in 2024 however by no means performed after a suspension for violating workforce guidelines and left this system in December 2024. He dedicated to McNeese and his new coach, Bill Armstrong, on March 24, 2025.
Johnson now averages 17.5 factors, probably the most by a McNeese participant since Sha’markus Kennedy averaged 18.6 factors in 2019-20.
Behind Johnson, the Cowboys hope to develop into bracket busters once more. Just like in 2025, they are going to be led out by their charismatic manager.
“I feel like we embrace it, it’s a part of our identity,” sophomore ahead Jacolb Fredson-Cole advised TheAthletic. “He’s a great person, makes sure we’ve got everything we need. We love Amir. Every time he does his thing, you can feel the energy being raised.”
They hope Khan’s aura, his boombox and his permeating positivity can energy a number of extra upsets.
—Joe Rexrode contributed to this report.
