If you remember the glory days of Vine, you have to remember the “Popeye’s kid” who first came to prominence on the popular app.
To this day, we still think of him every single time that we head to Popeye’s. One of the funniest memes of our time has now had the chance to come full circle, thanks to the good folks at the chicken chain.
Dieunerst “Popeye’s Kid” Collin is the one who was memorialized in the famous meme, which everyone is still using today. Anyone who spends even 2 seconds scrolling on Twitter in the present day is sure to know him.
We would recognize that face anywhere. It was an improbable viral video but it has since changed the course of this young man’s life. If you don’t remember the video, you can see it in the tweet below, courtesy of Front Office Sports:
We've come a long, long way.
Dieunerst Collin now has an endorsement deal with Popeyes. pic.twitter.com/y5U0efmTTj
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 11, 2023
Collin became well known after being seen in the video but ironically enough, he didn’t even seem to want to be there to begin with. Life is funny that way.
He happened to be in line waiting for a fountain drink when he was approached by someone who thought that he was a different person entirely. The man thought that the little boy was actually Lil Terrio.
He was also a big deal on Vine at the time and we can see why the man thought that Collin was him. So why is he back in the news now?
He is a college student these days and has the good fortune of coming up during the NIL era. This new rule allows college athletes to receive payment for the usage of their image and likeness.
BREAKING: Popeyes has signed Dieunerst Collin — "The Popeyes meme kid" — to an NIL deal.
Collin is now a freshman offensive lineman at D-II Lake Erie College. pic.twitter.com/xC7UmuJLvY
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 11, 2023
Popeye’s wasted no time inking him to a deal. “BREAKING: Popeyes has signed Dieunerst Collin — ‘The Popeyes meme kid’ — to an NIL deal. Collin is now a freshman offensive lineman at D-II Lake Erie College,” the Front Office Sports Twitter account shared. “We’ve come a long, long way. Dieunerst Collin now has an endorsement deal with Popeyes,” they continued.
Collin’s East Orange, New Jersey high school took home a state championship in 2021, setting the stage for what was to come. He hopes to play professionally one day and is currently studying sports management. @Jerseystar973 shared a before and after photo on Twitter and it’s neat to see how far he’s come:
From Popeyes to State Champion!! East Orange #StateChamps pic.twitter.com/SQdKNBsZ9g
— 😈😈😈😈 (@Jerseystar973) December 6, 2021
According to USA Today, if he is unable to play in the NFL, he would like to work as a sports analyst. We wish him the best of luck and hope that he is able to make all of his wildest dreams come true.