It’s very likely there won’t be a person in Northeast Ohio who has a Super Bowl Sunday quite like Dieunerst Collin.
If you’ve never heard of the Lake Erie College football player from New Jersey, chances are you might after Feb. 12.
It’s been a whirlwind for Collin after he recently signed a name, image, likeness deal with the popular fast-food restaurant chain Popeyes.
That NIL deal included a Popeyes billboard featuring Collin in his hometown of East Orange, N.J. That was just the start. What’s next is a Super Bowl Popeyes commercial featuring Collin.
From internet meme fame, to a Big Game ad. @CollinDieunerst got his eyes on the fries (or pies). pic.twitter.com/SuYMYdWmvI
— Popeyes (@Popeyes) February 6, 2023
First, some background on Collin and his connection to Popeyes:
A decade ago at age 9, Collin rose to fame when a stranger recorded him while he was with his family at a Popeyes in New Jersey. The video of Collin has him with a confused look. That person eventually shared the video on social media, where it went viral as a popular meme for people to use to express unease or confusion.
hometown hero pic.twitter.com/Vi2V4v8Jl7
— Popeyes (@Popeyes) January 15, 2023
Fast forward 10 years, and Collin is a redshirt freshman at LEC, where the 6-foot-1, 330-pounder is hoping to get playing time at center in the fall.
When NIL deals were becoming a success for college athletes at the Division I level at the start of the 2022 season, Collin took notice. He never forgot his brief brush with social media fame. So he sent a message to Popeyes via social media that read along the lines of “Let’s talk business.”
.@CollinDieunerst of @LakeErieFB on the anticipation of his @Popeyes commercial on Super Bowl Sunday and the whirlwind following his NIL deal with the fast-food chain. @LakeErieStorm @NHPreps pic.twitter.com/OXZpc1PdWx
— Mark Podolski (@mpodo) February 9, 2023
Eventually, Popeyes responded by direct message and an NIL deal was…
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