- The superstar student-athletes have become the face of NCAA women’s sports
- Dunne has 4 million followers on Instagram, while Reese has 2.5 million followers
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
LSU student-athlete stars Livvy Dunne and Angel Reese have spoken again about the broader impact of their various NIL deals in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
The pair was featured in the October issue of SI The Money Issue and while they didn’t directly discuss the value of their respective endorsements, Reese and Dunne explained why they put themselves in the spotlight.
Dunne, who is on a full athletic scholarship at LSU, has become one of the most prominent social media influencers in the sports world. She has 4 million followers on Instagram.
Some have suggested that her popularity is due to her looks and is largely due to the stream of proactive photos and inviting captions plastered across her multiple social media platforms.
The gymnast has become so popular that she has chosen not to attend her classes in person due to “safety concerns.”
Angel Reese (L) and Olivia Dunne (R) were featured in Sports Illustrated’s October Money Issue
Dunne has become a social media sensation in addition to being an LSU student-athlete
The 20-year-old regularly posts photos of herself in bikinis, tight dresses and gym clothes
She ranks third in On3’s NIL rankings among all college athletes – behind Bronny James and Shedeur Sanders – with a valuation of $3.1 million. Reese is number 8 with a valuation of $1.7 million.
“People are definitely discrediting what I do,” Dunne said SI. “People need to understand that I worked for everything I earned.
“I’ve spent years building an audience, and brands pay me for what they think is worth the reach of the demographic I serve.”
While Dunne has managed to build a brand that extends far beyond NCAA gymnastics, most female athletes struggle to attract the attention of their male contemporaries, even when they turn pro.
“There’s definitely an underlying problem, which is that the money should go to women’s sports because there aren’t many (lucrative) professional leagues for women’s sports after college,” Dunne said.
‘So it is very important that women can benefit from it now, while they are studying.’
The sentiment is echoed by Reese, who gained notoriety for taunting Caitlin Clark and her resulting post-game comments during the Lady Tigers’ national championship win against Iowa.
“Everyone knows the WNBA doesn’t make that much money, so I just want to grow my brand as much as I can in college before I go to the WNBA,” Reese said.
Reese and Dunne are student-athletes at LSU who represent the school in basketball and gymnastics, respectively. Reese was recently part of the national championship win vs. Iowa
Both she and Dunne were part of SI’s Swimsuit Issue and attended the subsequent May Day party in Manhattan.
“I’ve done so many photo shoots,” Reese said. ‘I’ve done so many commercials. Being able to pitch those things with the team I have now will help me when I graduate and decide to go to the WNBA.”
Reese is eligible for the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is currently entering her senior season – and second at LSU, after two years at the University of Maryland.
She will be eligible for a fifth year thanks to the NCAA’s expanded COVID eligibility rules.