Everyone knows the image of that shy kid giving the side-eye as he's oddly approached in a Popeyes.
Well, now he's certainly not being shy at all.
Before TikTok, there was Vine and that’s how the world first met Dieunerst Collin.
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A user by the name of TheRealSnoopy published the video titled ‘Terio At Popeyes’, where he asks Collin: "Yo, this n**** Terio at Popeyes.
The camera then shifted back and captured Collin’s famous response that has lived on in meme legend.
But now, Collin is all grown up, and a college football star.
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In 2021, he became a state champion with his high school football team in East Orange, New Jersey, according to USA TODAY.
The 19-year-old stands at 6 foot 1 and 330 pounds (149kg) and is an offensive lineman at Lake Erie College’s Division II football program.
Once Twitter got wind of Collin’s success as a football star, users demanded he receive a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NIL deal with the popular fast food giant.
Podcast producer Jim Weber tweeted: “The @Popeyes meme kid @CollinDieunerst is now a freshman offensive lineman at Division II Lake Erie College and if this guy doesn’t have a NIL deal by tomorrow, the Louisiana kitchen needs to clean house on upper management.”
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And this kicked off a movement.
Collins even posted: “I NEED EVERYONE TO REPOST THIS AND TAG @popeyes I JUST WANNA TALK BUSINESS.”
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Well, it looks like a little pressure from social media worked, as Popeyes announced it had offered the teen the deal he'd been craving.
"A lot can happen with the power of the internet behind you!" Collin said in a release, as per PEOPLE.
"I can't believe I can say I'm officially sponsored by Popeyes. Thank you to everyone who helped spread the good word!"
To officially mark the partnership, Popeyes had begun rolling out promotional posters with a nine-year-old Collin giving his famous look and an image of him as a freshman playing for Lake Erie College.
Many were quick to congratulate the football star, as one person wrote: “MADE IT @CollinDieunerst.”
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Another said: “The greatest NIL achievement we’ll ever see.”
While a third commented: “Feeling old but in the good way.”
This surely won’t be the last we see of Collin.
Featured Image Credit: Vine Turkey/YouTube. @dieunerst/InstagramTopics: NFL, US Sports, American Football
