'Popeye's Kid' Is Now 'Popeyes Man' And He's Hungry For A Sponsorship Deal

The Popeye's Kid, also known by his real name Dieunerst Collin, was one of the biggest Vine memes that also transitioned into a widely used reaction image that spread all over the internet since being posted in 2013. Almost a decade later, however, and Popeyes Kid has grown into a state championship football-playing man, and he's going all-in on his former fame.

Yesterday while posting a picture of him holding the championship trophy from a year prior, Collin had one thing to say to fans on social media — help him connect with the brand eternally linked to his memetic fame.

In an Instagram post, Collin called on people to tag @Popeyes to see if he could talk to them about options for sponsoring him now that he's a college football player, saying he "just wanna talk."

I NEED EVEYONE TO GO TO MY INSTAGRAM dieunerst</a> REPOST MY RECENT POST AND TAG <a href="https://twitter.com/Popeyes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Popeyes I JUST WANNA TALK🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/Fq00ylsJqs

— Dieunerst Collin (@CollinDieunerst) January 8, 2023

Answering the call in droves, many fans of the meme star responded and he's since begun trending again online.

For many, the Popeye’s viral vine kid will be immortalized in internet comments sections for years to come but the now 19-year-old Dieunerst Collin is making a name for himself through his own merits>>https://t.co/J7I9ATA0eB pic.twitter.com/5FlVMG2zFs

— FOX 8 New Orleans (@FOX8NOLA) January 9, 2023

The Popeyes</a> meme kid <a href="https://twitter.com/CollinDieunerst?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">CollinDieunerst is now a freshman offensive lineman at Division II Lake Erie College and if this guy doesn't have an NIL deal by tomorrow, the Louisiana kitchen needs to clean house on upper management. pic.twitter.com/JTQs9JhhPk

— Jim Weber (@JimMWeber) January 8, 2023

Same guy 😂

Collin Dieunerst went from being the Popeyes meme kid to a state champion‼️

Should CollinDieunerst</a> get a bag from <a href="https://twitter.com/Popeyes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">Popeyes for years of free marketing ?💰 pic.twitter.com/YoZXRNUJVO

— OutKick (@Outkick) January 9, 2023

While many online appeared to support Dieunerst's attempt at "grabbing a bag," the question still begged as to why now instead of before, considering the Vine that made him famous is almost 10 years old. The answer to that simply comes from two different things lining themselves up.

First, as a 19-year-old college football player of a division II school, Collin is both a player on a team and a part of the brand of the school itself as a legal adult playing under a school's banner.

Normally however, rules exist that prohibit sponsorships involving individual college players (as that falls into the legal gray area of marketing), the school getting paid as well as the student, and branding, but all of that was thrown out the window in the past few years due to changes in the rules regarding college players and their ability to make money off their own name and brand.

This means that Dieunerst Collin is now able to reach out to Popeyes for a potential sponsorship deal with zero consequences to his current playing career.

Good morning, @Popeyes.

Have you offered Dieunerst Collin that NIL deal yet?

— bæ grylls AKA Hugh Vaxxman (@TheAuracl3) January 9, 2023

I will riot if he doesn’t get a NIL deal with @Popeyes pic.twitter.com/cutcBPS500

— Scooby Wright III (@TwoStarScoob) January 9, 2023

One Of The Most Popular Memes Of All Time "Popeyes Kid" Is Now A 330 Pound Offensive Lineman At D2 Lake Erie College And Is Ready For His NIL Deal! https://t.co/ZEsREbiivA pic.twitter.com/nSk8PKIOhf

— Eric Nathan (@BarstoolNate) January 9, 2023

So far, Popeyes has yet to respond, but the internet seems well in support of Collin's efforts.