Viral March Madness star Amir ‘Aura’ Khan lands new job after breakout week and surprise NIL deals

Amir ‘Aura’ Khan, the student manager of McNeese State and one of the breakout stars of March Madness, is expected to follow coach Will Wade to NC State.

The Cowboys pulled off a stunning upset of Clemson on day one of the NCAA tournament after ‘Aura’ led them on his customary walkout – holding a boombox and blaring rap music.

McNeese State were beaten on Saturday by No 4 Purdue in the second round of March Madness.

But, according to CBS Sports, Khan is expected to remain in college basketball by moving to NC State.

Wade is leaving McNeese State, having agreed to a six-year deal to join the Wolfpack. His arrival is expected to be confirmed on Sunday – and Khan is likely to join him as a graduate manager.

Khan, who sat with Spike Lee during Saturday’s game against Purdue, told CBS he would ‘definitely… be open’ to joining Wade at NC State.

‘I haven’t fully thought about it (or) processed it,’ he said. 

‘I think over the next few days, I’m definitely going to think about my future, but I definitely want to be a grad assistant for a college basketball team when I graduate… I’ll keep options open, though, for sure.’

Khan, who is set to graduate this year with a degree in sports management, has reportedly been inundated with offers of NIL deals.

A McNeese staff member told CBS Sports that he had taken 135 calls over two days as hundreds of businesses reached out about working with Khan.

Khan’s earnings – said to be well into six figures – are unprecedented for a manager. He has a customized Under Armour jumpsuit, with ‘AURA’ emblazoned on the back, while his reported 12 NIL deals include Buffalo Wild Wings, TickPick and TurboTax.

For Saturday’s game against Purdue, McNeese State players and cheerleaders wore t-shirts and socks carrying Khan’s face.

‘It’s definitely been crazy,’ Khan told CBS of his rise to fame. ‘I think the biggest thing is with the team, first win in March Madness history. The fact that we were able to do that means a lot to us. 

He added: ‘As a manager, I never expected any attention, let alone attention nationwide. I appreciate all the support and stuff, but it’s a lot to process fully.” 

Wade recently gushed about the student manager, who is in the role for a second season. 

‘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 of his now-famous pregame walks.

Khan also hilariously boasted about his own impact to CBS, saying, ‘If they kept manager stats for rebounding and wiping up wet spots on the court, I’d put up Wilt Chamberlain numbers.’

‘It’s something I can’t describe because I think aura is the energy you give off to other people,’ he continued of his pregame walks. 

‘So I’m just going to keep doing my thing and let other people dictate whether I have aura or not.’