Topics: Good News, News, Sport, Football, Social Media, Food and Drink
The Popeyes ‘meme kid’ has nabbed a football scholarship name, image, likeness (NIL) deal from the fast food giant.
Gather 'round children, let me tell you a story.
Before TikTok, there was Vine and that’s how the world first met Dieunerst Collin.
Collin was the unassuming kid captured almost a decade ago standing by the soda foundation giving major side eye.
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A user by the name of TheRealSnoopy published the video titled ‘Terio At Popeyes’, where he asks Collin: "Yo, this n**** Terio at Popeyes.
The camera then shifted back and captured Collin’s famous response.
But now, Collin is all grown up, playing college football.
In 2021, he became a state champion with his high school football team in East Orange, New Jersey, according to USA TODAY.
The 19-year-old stands at 6 foot 1 and 330 pounds (149kg) and is an offensive lineman at Lake Erie College’s Division II football program.
Once Twitter got wind of Collin’s success as a football star, users demanded he receive a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NIL deal with the popular fast food giant.
Podcast producer Jim Weber tweeted: “The @Popeyes meme kid @CollinDieunerst is now a freshman offensive lineman at Division II Lake Erie College and if this guy doesn’t have a NIL deal by tomorrow, the Louisiana kitchen needs to clean house on upper management.”
And this kicked off a movement.
Collins even posted: “I NEED EVERYONE TO REPOST THIS AND TAG @popeyes I JUST WANNA TALK BUSINESS.”
Well, it looks like a little pressure from social media worked, as Popeyes announced it offered the teen a NIL deal earlier today (January 13).
"A lot can happen with the power of the internet behind you!" Collin said in a release, as per PEOPLE.
"I can't believe I can say I'm officially sponsored by Popeyes. Thank you to everyone who helped spread the good word!"
To officially mark the partnership, Popeyes had begun rolling out promotional posters with a nine-year-old Collin giving his famous look and an image of him as a freshman playing for Lake Erie College.
Many were quick to congratulate the football star, as one person wrote: “MADE IT @CollinDieunerst.”
Another said: “The greatest NIL achievement we’ll ever see.”
While a third commented: “Feeling old but in the good way.”
This surely won’t be the last we see of Collin.
