Imagine touching a mark that no one from your sport has even come close to! Well, Olivia Dunne, gets to experience this surreal feel each day. The sole gymnast in the top 100 NIL rankings, it’s safe to say she’s made a distinct place for herself. Today, she’s the highest-earning female college athlete, not just at present, but of all time! However, did you know that before touching this milestone, the LSU star had a few initial wobbles?

Livvy had barely started out as a freshman at LSU when a landmark decision changed the course of the next few years for her. The NCAA wiped off an existing NIL rule— unveiling new avenues for college athletes to earn big bucks by monetizing their name, image, and likeness. Since then, the bright-eyed youngster has ventured down the freshly opened path all by herself. Has it been easy? Her latest bit on celluloid provides the answer.

Coach Jay closely witnessed Olivia’s NIL struggles

In episode 1 of the docu-series, The Money Games, aired on Amazon Prime, Olivia Dunne’s LSU coach Jay Clark opens up that when the door to the NIL world opened, it took a while before she eased into it. “I think when NIL first started it took Liv a while to kinda get a handle on how to balance the two parts of her life that were both equally important to her,” he remarked. How could it have been easy— she was treading into a whole new territory.

Notably, Livvy  was going in blind and the fear of being lost in the maze did catch up to her at times. Dunne confessed, “What’s goin on with NIL, you know, there’s no one I can follow in their footsteps, I was just kinda winning it and it was kind of an unprecedented area.” And that wasn’t her only concern, there was so much on her plate— athletics, academia, and her new-found stardom.

Pushing herself to full capacity, on some days she would feel she’s bitten off more than she could chew. Especially, regarding the NIL deals, as she admitted, “It was hard to communicate sometimes how I felt, with the coaches about being overwhelmed. They could see it on my face.” But, Clark, the visionary who propelled LSU’s women gymnasts to their first NCAA title this year, and Dunne’s other coaches could read that without her having to say a word.

Naturally so, Dunne believes that social media may glamorize things, but in reality, that’s just the top of the iceberg. Well, the NIL-queen may have amassed deals worth $9.5 million since 2021, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, right?

Olivia Dunne’s dream NIL collaboration

Gradually hitting the stride with NIL deals, Olivia Dunne has risen to a net worth of $6 million, as of 2024. And as she returns to LSU for her fifth season, she is hardly done yet. Per her, the 2023 Sports Illustrated tie up is a one that can last beyond college too, for the brand almost feels like family to her. American Eagle, Body Armor, Nautica, and so many partners, but the social media star has not yet landed her dream NIL partner. Who is it you ask?

“I think the inner ‘Swiftie’ in me is saying Taylor Swift,” Dunne has revealed her wish to join hands with the American singing sensation. Remember when Coach Jay Clark had humorously joked with Livvy that she makes 10 times of what he does? Imagine what would be his reaction if the gymnast’s dream manifests into reality!

But, the ride to this point has been a tough one. Recently, Olivia Dunne recalled how she has had to be alert while dealing with brands in the past. While most of them wished to offer free gifts, accepting them posed the threat of losing their eligibility for the athletes. Thus, Olivia has had to chart a difficult course to become one of the mega names in NIL today. What do you think about her difficulties? Let us know below!