McNeese’s boom-boxing viral sensation, student manager Amir Khan, has captivated fans across social media for his swaggy song selection and ability to hype-up the best team in the Southland Conference as they gear up for March Madness. Now he has an NIL deal to boot.
CBS Sports has learned Khan, whose name has officially been changed on McNeese’s online directory to Amir “Aura” Khan, has signed a brand deal to represent TickPick — an online marketplace to buy and sell tickets. As part of the deal, Khan has agreed to share sponsored posts and also to slap a TickPick sign on his boom box, which will be front and center as the Cowboys cruise into the NCAA Tournament next week.
It’s the first NIL deal TickPick has done with a college student or athlete.
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“He’s an incredibly likable kid and a unique character, and everyone loves him,” Kyle Zorn, TickPick’s head of content, told CBS Sports. “He has that ‘it’ factor.”
TickPick did not disclose terms of the deal but said Khan is being compensated “a healthy amount.” As part of the terms, there is also an escalating financial incentive Khan can collect for every round McNeese advances in the NCAA Tournament.
Yes, that’s right: each time McNeese wins in the NCAA Tournament, Khan’s paycheck will increase.
“He’s incredible,” McNeese coach Will Wade said this week in an interview with CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. “He’s just a phenomenal kid, phenomenal young man. … Our players love Amir. He’s always funny, he’s quick-witted. A phenomenal kid.”
Khan is a senior from Lake Charles, Louisiana, where McNeese is located, and he’s just as good a quote as he is a student manager. In a quote attributed to him on his online bio at McNeese, he says this of his time with the Cowboys: “If they kept manager stats for rebounding and wiping up wet spots on the court, I’d put up Wilt Chamberlain numbers.”
Khan and his Cowboys are 27-6 entering the NCAA Tournament and carry the third-longest active winning streak in college basketball.
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