Richest Woman in NIL Olivia Dunne Struggles With $2.4 Million Gap

Clear eyes, full wallets – well, that’s the dream, right? But four years into the NIL era, it’s clear not everyone’s cashing in equally. Football players are raking it in, while other sports barely make a dent. Take gymnastics, for example, it hasn’t made much noise, except for Olivia Dunne. She’s the only gymnast cracking the top 100 NIL rankings, which is huge. But here’s the catch: her ranking’s been slipping lately. So, the big question is, how long can she keep holding it down in a game that still feels stacked in favor of football?

Football is where the big money is in college sports. It’s the cash flow that keeps schools rolling, funding everything else. And when you look at the numbers, it’s crazy: in 2024, 72.2% of NIL money goes to football players, with men’s basketball snagging another 21.2%. That doesn’t leave much room for anyone else. But if you look at the top 40 NIL rankings, just one woman is making her mark- Olivia Dunne. She is not only a gymnast but also a social media star, and she has had a steady NIL of $ 4.2 million. But here’s the twist: her ranking has also declined recently, she was at #2 and now she is at #7. So, what’s going on there? Why the slide?

What’s happening to Olivia Dunne’s NIL ranking?

Olivia Dunne graduated in December 2024 but returned for another season at LSU. Reason: The extra year of eligibility the NCAA gave athletes due to the COVID-19 pause. Everyone was buzzing that her return would be a game-changer, maybe even pushing her NIL ranking to the top, possibly surpassing Shedeur Sanders, who was at #1 at the time. It seemed like that was happening, her NIL’s value went from $3.9 million to $4.2 million, landing her at #2. But then things took a turn. Despite her NIL staying steady, her ranking has been dropping fast.

In just a month, from December 2024 to January 2025, Olivia Dunne’s NIL ranking has dropped from #2 to #7. With her college career winding down and only one season left, it’s got people wondering: how much further can she fall? Currently, football players are ranked at the top for instance—in the first position. It begins with Arch Manning, the quarterback at Texas Longhorns; his NIL worth is $6.6 million. He is what can be described as the first college athlete with the highest earnings to date. Coming in second is Shedeur Sanders, a Colorado quarterback, at $6.5 million. Then, Travis Hunter Jr. comes in third with a NIL value of $5.7 million; Quinn Ewers follows in fourth with a NIL value of $4.5 million; and Carson Beck follows in fifth with a NIL value of $4.4 million.

But there isn’t only football, of course. In 6th position is Cooper Flagg, a basketball player for Duke Blue Devils; His NIL value is $4.3M. Next to him is Olivia Dunne with $4.2M, only $100,000 less. But can she make a comeback? As of now, $2.4M separates her from the #1 Arch Manning NIL value. Having no new deals for the last four months and Olivia Dunne’s NCAA season about to end in 4 months it doesn’t seem likely if she can regain her position of the number 2 back. So, here’s the big question: why are only football players dominating the NIL? Why not others? 

Why football players are raking in the big bucks and other athletes aren’t

Well, why are football players taking the biggest slices of the NIL pie? And it is all about the money football makes for colleges and doubtless, football is the most profitable sport for amateur players. It is just a cash cow, you can imagine the TV rights and sponsorship, not to speak of the unprecedented large fan clubs. Furthermore, if the NIL income is broken down by the data considered in ‘Opendorse’s 2024 NIL report. The NIL was distributed in this way—football players received approximately 72.2% of all the NIL revenue while male basketball players only received approximately 21.2%. Other sports like baseball and women’s basketball are equally captured at a meager 5.9%. The same can be said with regard to commercial NIL dollars; football players have been seen garnering 76.6%.

That is the plain reason: football is the best-funded sport, and it is just difficult for others to match that. While NIL opportunities are now available in other sports for athletes as well, football itself has a revenue stream that is almost impossible to challenge or match, leaving gymnasts, basketball players, and everyone else to fight over the crumbs. But Olivia Dunne? She’s making it happen!

Well, football and basketball players are occupying the Nil top positions and Olivia Dunne knows how to play on social media. She also has a giant audience with 4.4 million on Instagram, 8.1 million on TikTok, and 159K on X, at the same time, Arch Manning has only 335K on Instagram, 8.5K on TikTok, and 72K on X. So, while Olivia Dunne is not dominating NIL but social media yes! But with this, we’re hoping her NIL keeps rising and doesn’t let it slip!