NCAA athlete Olivia Dunne reveals her highest paid sponsorship

20-year-old gymnast is highest-paid NCAA female athlete

Olivia Dunne has revealed her highest paying social media sponsorship after being notoriously quiet about her earnings.

During an interview with the Full Send podcast, hosted by Kyle Foregeard, the 20-year-old gymnast opened up about the most lucrative deal she’s received. “I usually don’t ever talk about money,” Dunne told Foregeard. “I would say... it’s six figures.” When asked to give a more specific estimate, she admitted the amount was close to $500,000 for just one sponsored post.

According to ON3 Nil, the Louisiana State University student’s net worth is estimated at $3.5m.

The TikTok star, known as “Livvy,” became the highest paid female competitor in the NCAA back in 2021 when the organisation approved a new Name, Image, and Likeliness (NIL) policy allowing student-athletes to accept sponsorships.

Dunne admitted: “I would hope that I could make a lot of money with NIL. I didn’t know when I started growing my social media that this rule was ever going to change. I started growing my social media just because I like to do it, ever since I was 10 years old.”

With more than 4.2 million followers on Instagram and 7.6 million on TikTok, the creator revealed she prioritises authenticity over business when it comes to promoting brands to her audience. Before she exposed her earnings on the podcast, she said she would only accept a deal that “feels right”.

Dunne first built a substantial following on TikTok before her Instagram became popular. Now, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model frequently posts videos of herself at the gym, with friends, and cheering on her fellow Tigers in the stands of the LSU stadiums.

A recent TikTok featured her dancing in denim jeans and navy-blue starred bikini bottoms for the Fourth of July. “Happy Birthday America,” her caption read. On her Instagram, she shared a cluster of photos laying on the beach in the same USA-themed bikini, writing: “Seeing stars.”

The All-American athlete was optimistic about her future when asked about what she wanted to do after her gymnastics career was over.

“I definitely want to do something entrepreneurial. I love working with brands and I feel like over time, like the past two years, I’ve learned so much from working with brands that I definitely want to have my own thing on day, my own product, or something,” she said.

She then added: “I don’t know exactly what yet, but I definitely want to have my own thing.”

Dunne’s journey to competitive gymnastics started when she was just three years old. Her training led her to become the youngest USA International Elite gymnast at age 11. She would go on to win gold at the 2017 City of Jesolo Trophy USA Junior National Competition.

During her sophomore season at LSU, she set her career high scores for bar and floor against Centenary and Alabama, respectively. Now, Dunne is entering her senior year, looking to hopefully beat her previous numbers during the 2024 SEC Gymnastics Competition.