There have been thousands of athletes that became stars in college, but few ever did it like Olivia Dunne.
Not only did she emerge as a young gymnastic star at LSU, she became a pioneer in the Name, Image and Likeness era of college sports, quickly showing how hot the marketplace is for athletes to benefit from partnerships and deals.
She went from just a girl from Hillsdale, New Jersey to one of the most recognizable names – not just at the college level, but all of sports. Dunne has more than 13 million combined followers on Instagram and Tik Tok.
By the time her college career ended, she was the top-earning woman student-athlete with a $4.1 million valuation, according to On3, and near the top of all college sports. It wasn’t how Dunne expected her LSU career to go, but she’s left her mark on the NCAA.
‘I just wanted to leave my legacy that you’re more than your sport, and you can be a person beyond your sport and be a college athlete. It can be more than just sports,’ Dunne told USA TODAY Sports. ‘I never thought that it was gonna be what it is today.
‘It changed my life, and I’m so grateful.’
Besides all of the accomplishments off the mat, Dunne achieved success as part of the Tigers gymnastics team. LSU won the 2024 national championship as it continued to play in packed arenas, partly thanks to Dunne’s influence. With an extra year of eligibility to use, she decided to return to LSU for one last season to recapture some glory.
It didn’t go according to plan; Dunne only competed in the first four meets of the 2025 season before she missed the rest of the season due to an avulsion fracture on her patella (kneecap). Frustrating and not ideal for someone in their final year of eligibility.
Despite the disappointing end of her college career, Dunne said her entire time at LSU was ‘fulfilling,’ getting to live out her childhood dream of representing the school and winning a national title. After LSU’s season ended, Dunne announced her retirement from gymnastics.
She won’t be participating in the sport anymore, but she wants to stay around it. Thinking about her post-competing career, Dunne wants to be vocal about her support for gymnastics and women athletics.
‘I definitely would want to do something with sports and keep advocating for women’s sports, especially since I’m fortunate to have this platform,’ Dunne said. ‘It’s important to keep eyes on women’s sports and keep the hype around gymnastics especially.’
And don’t expect the partnerships and deals to stop. Even with all of the sponsorships she did during college, Dunne said her reach was limited because of her obligations with gymnastics. Now feeling more free, Dunne doesn’t want to restrict herself on the opportunities that await her. Case in point was she spoke to USA TODAY Sports through Raising Cane’s as she partnered with the fast food chain for a content shoot.
‘I can’t pinpoint what I want to do, but I want to try everything. I want to try new opportunities. I just want to explore what my options are going to be and just do everything and have fun with it,’ she said. ‘I’ll keep working with brands, and I’ll keep being a sports fan and staying involved with sports.’
Dunne already does have plenty to cheer for in sports thanks to boyfriend Paul Skenes. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Skenes has been electric in his young career and earned the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year award.
Dunne admitted last year watching her beau has made her become ‘a crazy baseball girlfriend.’ Now the two are among the highest profile couples in sports, evident by their recent photoshoot in GQ, which called them Gen Z’s ‘it couple.’
It’s been a whirlwind the past few years for Dunne, and although it might be hard to even come close to having the type of college career she had, Dunne hopes her journey paves the way for future women athletes to make a name for themselves in more than one way.
‘You’re not just a gymnast, you’re not just an influencer, you’re not just a student,’ she said. ‘You can be more than one thing and find success in multiple areas.’