Former Howard athlete making strides with WWE

Darci Khan , a former sprinter and hurdler at Howard University, could be on her way to a professional wrestling ring in the future. She was one of seven athletes announced on Wednesday as graduates of World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) “Next In Line” talent development class. “Next In Line” is a comprehensive NIL program launched in December 2021 that serves to recruit and develop potential future talent or “Superstars” in the WWE.

The program is a Name, Image and Likeness partnership that looks to sign college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds. Khan, along with her fellow classmates had access to the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., On top of the in the ring resources, athletes receive training in brand building, media training, communications, live event promotion, creative writing and community relations.

Now that Darci Khan is a graduate of the NIL program, she could earn an exclusive opportunity for a WWE contract. But as she told HBCU Gameday in an interview earlier this year, the opportunities within the organization aren’t limited to just being a wrestler.

“We have opportunities to connect with the WWE community. They have different outlets within the WWE, so you don’t have to be a superstar, if you have different things that you want to do. They’re teaching us a lot about media training, what it’s like to be a WWE superstar, they send us on trips to see different WWE matches, so it’s really just like a learning process, if we choose that route once we’re done with school,” she said.

Darci Khan is a four time conference champion at Howard, including securing All-MEAC First Team honors after winning the 100-meter hurdles (13.75) at the MEAC Outdoor Championships in 2023. She also made All-MEAC First Team as a member of the 4×100-meter relay team.

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