They say, ‘Heavy is the head that wears the crown,’ and, honestly, Olivia Dunne is living it! Like she once said, “Sometimes it’s a blessing and a curse,” which couldn’t be more true regarding NIL. As of January 2025, she’s still the highest-paid woman in college sports—but for how long?

We’re confused, even though she’s the only woman in the NIL top 40 rankings. Here’s the thing: her NIL value has stalled, and her rank has been dropping step by step. Right now, she’s back at LSU, finishing her senior year and playing her last NCAA season. However, returning to LSU has only made her more anxious. Want to know why?

Olivia Dunne’s NIL status slip? Yeah, it’s definitely been a bit of a headache for her.

But here’s the thing: Livvy actually graduated from LSU on December 12, 2024. So why’d she come back? Well, it is all because of the NCAA’s COVID-19 pause in 2021 as she had an extra year of eligibility. Before she came back, everyone thought it was gonna be a game-changer. People predicted her return to LSU would shoot her NIL rank to the top, maybe even surpassing Shedeur Sanders. Earlier, she was at $3.9 million in NIL value, sitting pretty at 2nd place. But, as things played out, it wasn’t exactly as smooth as everyone expected.

Still, Olivia stands by her decision, calling it “one of the best decisions I ever made.” But, let’s be real. The reality hasn’t been as easy as she hoped. After Olivia Dunne returned to LSU, things started to change pretty quickly. Her NIL ranking, once sitting pretty at 2nd place, has taken a pretty big hit. According to On3.com, she’s not 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or even 5th on the list, but she’s down at 6th! That’s a huge drop in just two months.

Her NIL value is still the same as December, sitting at $4.2 million, but her rank? Shifted!

Meanwhile, athletes who were below her are climbing up fast. Arch Manning, for example, has shot up to the top spot with an insane $6.6 million, making history as the first NIL star to earn that much. Before him, Shedeur Sanders held the crown with $6.2 million, but now even he’s been overtaken—he’s sitting in 2nd place with $6.5 million.

Then comes Travis Hunter with $5.7 million in the 3rd position, Quinn Ewers with $4.5 million in the 4th position, and Cooper Flagg with $4.3 million in the 5th position. It will tug the heartstrings when we see Olivia go from 2nd to 6th, and there is almost a $2.4 million distance between her and Arch Manning. And between her and Cooper Flagg? Only $100,000.

So, what’s next for Olivia?

With her final year at LSU just four months away, the clock starts to tick. Although she has had deals with over 20 brands, including Vuori, American Eagle, Nautica, Body Armour, and a multi-million dollar partnership with Passes, she hasn’t secured any new deals recently. She might feel anxious due to it.

There is little NIL growth as of late and with the season coming to a close, she may be uncertain about the future. But how did her NIL drop suddenly?

Olivia Dunne’s rapid fall in NIL rankings!

Olivia Dunne’s NIL ranking didn’t plummet all at once but over some time. All of it started on December 3, 2024, when Olivia was ranked 3rd in terms of NIL, where her NIL was at $4.2 million. So, what happened?

Let me tell you about Arch Manning, the redshirt freshman football star from a football family which probably speaks about his $4.8 million value, overtaking Olivia. He’s the clear winner at this stage. Just when things were starting to get a little better, the very next day on December 4th, Travis Hunter, a Colorado wide receiver and cornerback, knocked Olivia back down to fourth place with the estimated NIL value of $4.5 million.

Olivia was the next one, in fourth place, with a similar $4.2 million, which was good, but far from what it used to be. At the same time, Arch Manning ranked second with $5 million. But it didn’t end there. Travis Hunter got to the second position by the 13th of December with a $5.2 million NIL value. Good for him!

Moving to December 29th, Olivia was still at $4.2 million, while Arch Manning rose to $5.5 million. Travis Hunter continued pushing upward to a towering $5.7 million. And who topped the list of earners at that time was Shedeur Sanders, who made $6.5 million. At the same time, Olivia’s value turned stagnant while everyone around her progressed further up the ranks. But now there is this shift, things have changed again!

As of January 9th, 2025, AJ Dybantsa, who takes the 7th place in the NIL, is worth $3.8 million, just $400,000 below Olivia. As all those changes occur, one can only hope that Olivia’s rank doesn’t keep dropping. Only time will tell. It’s crunch time for Olivia Dunne now!