Editorial

Remember ‘Terio At Popeyes’? He’s Now A College Football Player Who May Have Just Landed A Deal With Popeyes

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Erie College football player Dieunerst Collin, known as the

[YouTube/Screenshot/Public — User: Vine Turkey]

Andrew Powell Sports and Entertainment Blogger
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This is so great.

If I say the name Dieunerst Collin, you most likely won’t know who that is. But if I say, “the kid from the Popeyes meme,” then a lot of you instantly pick up on who I’m talking about.

But for those who are still clueless, this is the Popeyes meme that I’m referencing:

The guy who filmed the iconic video calls Collin “Terio” in reference to another viral Vine star, who the future footballer sort of resembled at the time, and Collin is visibly uncomfortable with the whole situation. But enough about that.

Meet Dieunerst “Popeyes Kid” Collin, whose original claim to fame is being a “worldwide meme” as he puts it. As you see, the meme started out as a video of a then-nine-year-old Collin. Fast forward to 2023, and Collin is a freshman football player at Lake Erie College — and now it’s time to cash in.

Taking advantage of the NCAA’s new “name, image and likeness” policies, which allow players to profit while in college, Collin posted a plea on Instagram to partner up with Popeyes. Within just hours, the post was liked tens of thousands of times.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by @dieunerst

“Less than 24 hours, they hit me up and said, okay, let’s make it happen,” said the now-18-year-old Collin.

Now — officially — Collin is on his way to becoming an ambassador to the Popeyes brand.

These NIL deals just keep getting cooler and cooler, man.

Some recent NIL deals that I’ve covered have been the Hendon Hooker (Tennessee quarterback) deal with French’s, which was cool as hell, especially the custom-made Nike Air Force Ones that he got in the deal. And then you have the one where college football players got to stay in this dope Cheez-It themed hotel room before playing in particular bowl games. (RELATED: Paige Spiranac Declares Notre Dame Football As The Worst Fan Base In Sports, And She’s Absolutely Correct)

And now, this one with Collin and Popeyes, being based on a meme from when he was a kid, just elevated NIL even more.

I’m here for this wild, wild ride.