Who would’ve thought a gymnast who committed to LSU as an 8th grader would go on to become quite possibly the program’s greatest? Well, that’s the story of Haleigh Bryant. When LSU came knocking in 2014, the North Carolina native knew she didn’t want to go anywhere else. But as 2020 came around and she made it to Baton Rogue, so did a certain someone and something. Yes, one of them was Olivia Dunne. And the other?

COVID-19. While the global pandemic derailed college sports for a while, the NCAA found a way to give athletes in Bryant and Dunne’s class the exposure they needed: a fifth-year. With Olivia Dunne returning to the mats for her final year, so is her gymnastics BFF. Less than two weeks after winning LSU’s first national championship in gymnastics earlier this year, Haleigh Bryant announced, “I am back for year five.” Her reasoning?

“There have been so many amazing people who supported me,” Bryant said in an April interview with NOLA. “With the new people we’re getting, I wanted to be part of history again. I just wanted to keep giving to the fans and teammates who supported me.” Joining her and Dunne in the 2025 season will be  Pan American Games gold medalists Zoe Miller and Kaliya Lincoln, alongside Kailin Chio and Lexi Zeiss. With Olympic gold medalist Helzy Rivera coming on board in 2027, the hype around LSU is higher than ever… and Haleigh Bryant wants to make the most of the platform she has.

It’s no secret that since NIL deals kicked off in 2021, Olivia Dunne has been on fire. She’s sitting pretty at second overall and first among women, according to On3. She and the Tigers may be the reigning champions, but she’s got more than just the medals to show for it—her social media game is off the charts. With 14 million followers, including 8 million on TikTok, Livvy’s got the looks and charm that make her a brand ambassador’s dream. But it’s not all about the glitz and glam; she’s walking the walk by inspiring her followers to shoot for the stars, and now it seems Haleigh Bryant is following her path.

Bryant, who’ll turn 23 in a few weeks, signed with Spanx in June 2022, Bumble in March 2022, and teamed up with OZONE Leotards and Discord in October 2021. She’s got a net worth of around $1 million and boasts 58,647 followers on Instagram and 19,700 on TikTok. But despite the cool perks, Haleigh stays true to herself when it comes to choosing partnerships. In a conversation with Forbes before kicking off her 2025 campaign, she explained how she chooses NIL deals. “I want to promote something that I enjoy doing,” she said, adding,

“I don’t just want to do it because they’re going to give me products or they’re going to give this or that; I want it to be something that I truly enjoy using or doing or wearing.” Staying authentic is what she likes. And interestingly, that’s what Livvy Dunne is big on, too! We all know she was one of the first college athletes to cash in on the new Name, Image, and Likeness rules from the NCAA. Since 2021, when NIL guidelines changed, she’s made an estimated $9.5 million. But Livvy’s big on staying authentic with her brand deals.

“I feel like there are so many things on people’s feeds that are not authentic. It’s very easy to detect. Detect what your core values are and whatever brand you’re working with, detect their core values, and ask them a lot of questions.” Back in 2023, Dunne partnered with Bayou Traditions to launch the Livvy Fund, designed to help female LSU athletes leverage their Name, Image, and Likeness by educating them on personal branding and connecting them with potential endorsement deals. As a result, her teammates (including Bryant) have already started getting perks.

Just over a month ago, Olivia Dunne and Accelerator Active Energy announced their partnership through the Livvy Fund that would benefit 8 of her teammates, allowing them to serve as ambassadors for the brand, too. How could Haleigh Bryant not be a part of those teammates, especially considering she is not only the reigning SEC Gymnast of the Year but also won the AAI Award and Honda Sport Award for leading LSU to its first team title?

Considering just how much she’s achieved during her time at LSU, there’s no doubt that more NIL deals will come flooding her way. As enticing as that is, it wasn’t her sole motivation for coming back for a fifth year. “At the end of the day, [coming back] had nothing to do with wanting to accomplish more because I had done everything I ever could have dreamed about and more. It came down to how much I love the sport of gymnastics and LSU and how I wanted to continue to do it with my best friends.”

That said, Haleigh’s got one major goal: to repeat last year’s National Championship win. “The goal is definitely there,” she said, but instead of focusing too much on the big picture, she’s all about making sure she and her team are doing everything they can off the floor to set themselves up for success. “When we get to competitions, I want us to look back and feel proud knowing we did everything possible,” she adds. “No regrets.”

To Haleigh, it is all about being congruent with one’s self and what one believes in regardless of some of the availabilities of luxuries. But with all this success, the question that arises in everyone’s mind is: Who is a better gymnast, Olivia Dunne or Haleigh Bryant?

Haleigh Bryant and Olivia Dunne are breaking records and hearts!

Gymnastics lovers should keep their eyes peeled as Olivia Dunne and Haleigh Bryant are not only incredible gymnasts but the absolute best of friends. Haleigh is pacing it in LSU and she was able to contribute to the NCAA championship title of her team. She has 27 All-America honors, 18 perfect 10s, and even a gym slam, a score of 10.0 for all four events at the same meet. Last season, she nailed a career-high 39.925, which tied for the highest all-around score in the NCAA. On top of that, she won the AAI Award, Honda Sport Award, and the NCAA all-around title.

Olivia has had her own adventure too—Junior Olympics, medals and gold at the 2019 US National Championships, among them. Also, she has represented Team USA internationally. Yet, with all these massive winnings, these two find time to support each other no matter what. When Olivia turned 22 in October, Haleigh shared a super sweet birthday post on Instagram with a pic of them at the beach. “HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVIA PAIGE!! Grateful I’ve gotten the opportunity to spend the last 5 years with you. I love you big,” Haleigh wrote. After all they’ve achieved, it’s exciting to think about what these two will do next. Whatever it is, we know it’s going to be legendary!