Livvy Dunne discusses how she balanced brand deals, remaining in shape

The regular season is nearing the finish line for Livvy Dune and the LSU gymnastics team, with senior night in Baton Rouge this Friday marking the final regular season meet for the Tigers as they host North Carolina.

The SEC and NCAA Championships are right around the corner but heading into the season Dunne arrived on campus in some of the best shape of her career, receiving kudos from head coach Jay Clark about the impressive physical shape she was in following the summer.

Ahead of senior night, Dunne was asked about her preparation this summer and how she balanced being in tip-top shape and being one of the most active athletes in collegiate sports when it comes to name, image, and likeness.

“My summers are usually pretty hectic,” Dunne admitted. “So it’s all about finding a balance between these brand deals that I put off during the season that I end up doing during the summer and staying in shape to be a DI athlete.”

Dunne has emerged as a superstar in the NIL space amongst student athletes, leveraging her large social media following of 12.4 million followers between her TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter accounts to secure a multitude of brand deals throughout her career. Working together with companies like Nautica, Omaha Productions, Motorola, Body Armor, American Eagle Outfitters, and many more. Even signing a deal with Sports Illustrated and landing a feature in the 2023 SI Swimsuit edition.

She ranks No. 3 on the On3 NIL 100 with an On3 NIL valuation of $3.5 million. But that didn’t stop the highest earning college female athlete from putting in the necessary work this offseason.

“This year I just had a different approach because I treated it like it’s my last, and I mean it is I’m a senior. So I really wanted to make the best of it and it really paid off,” Dunne explained. “I’ve been so happy this year and I’ve just had so much fun and I feel like my approach was definitely different than years in the past so yeah, I’m just very happy with where I came back.”

Dunne’s work clearly has paid off, posting a 9.875 score on the bars and also matching career high with a 9.900 in the leadoff spot on floor in LSU’s most recent meet at the Podium Challenge. With the Tigers’ win over No. 14 Auburn, George Washington, and Texas Woman’s pushing them to a No. 2 ranking in the polls with a program record NQS score of 198.125.

Dunne does have one season of eligibility remaining, but has not yet decided if she will use it or not as she looks to help the Tigers secure their first national championship in program history.

But there’s no question that another year as a collegiate athlete would certainly help Dunne in the NIL space, and yet another summer of hard work would probably help her in competition once again for one last season in The Bayou.