Is Olivia Dunne’s New NIL Collaboration a Hint on Her Fifth-Year Return to LSU?

Since her return to LSU for her senior year in August 2023, speculation has been swirling about whether it was Olivia Dunne’s final run with her alma mater. Despite the anticipation that the 2023–2024 season would mark the end of her collegiate gymnastics career, the unique circumstances stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic have opened the door for Dunne to potentially extend her gymnastics career at LSU for a fifth year of eligibility.

Following LSU’s claim to the NCAA gymnastics title and Dunne’s statement that winning the national championship “definitely makes me want to come back,” fans have eagerly awaited confirmation from the “beachnastics” queen herself. Then, on May 1st, 2024, in a teaser move, Livvy signed a multi-million dollar partnership with a brand, hinting that she may indeed be back for a fifth year!

Olivia Dunne’s major hint at her fifth year at LSU

According to Forbes, Olivia Dunne has signed a multi-million-dollar NIL deal with Passes, a platform designed to help creators monetize their content and engage with fans through exclusive experiences. Dunne expressed her excitement about the collaboration, stating, “Passes allows me to monetize my creativity and expertise in ways that were previously unavailable to college athletes, which is why I’m so excited to be partnering with them.”

She sees this partnership as an opportunity to turn her passion for gymnastics and content creation into a sustainable career path while building deeper connections with her fans. Dunne also complimented Passes for its user-friendly interface and expressed her excitement to share behind-the-scenes live streams and give her fans an inside look into her life as a collegiate gymnast.

She even said, “I hope that this empowers other female and NIL athletes to become Passes creators so they can continue to connect with their fans and be entrepreneurial as athletes.” Given that NIL deals are exclusive to student-athletes for monetizing their Name, Image, and Likeness, this partnership strongly suggests that Olivia Dunne could continue as a student-athlete with LSU for another year. So, what does Passes have to say about teaming up with Livvy?

Passes praises the highest-paid NIL female athlete, Livvy

This marks Passes’ first deal under NIL, as the platform aims to attract more college athletes interested in creating a regular income stream without the need to constantly sign new brand deals. Passes CEO Lucy Guo mentioned that this partnership shows the platforms’ new focus on supporting college athletes and providing them with more income opportunities through their content creator platform. Lucy Guo explained that with NIL, college athletes can now become entrepreneurs with the help of Passes.

When asked why they chose Dunne as their first college athlete partner, Guo shared, “College athletes have some of the most engaged superfans. Livvy is a powerful example of female entrepreneurship in the evolving NIL landscape, and this partnership aims to help close the wage gap for female athletes while empowering them to build their own brands.” As we await further confirmation from Olivia Dunne about year five at LSU, what are your thoughts? Will Livvy return to the Tiger squad once more? Comment below!