Popeye's meme kid offered college football sponsorship from fast food giant

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.

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.

Twitter

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.

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