The 2013 funny moment of confusion for a then 9-year-old Dieunerst Collin turned into a meme sensation. Collin’s face became recognizable, first on Vine and then on the internet. The video reached around 20 million views.
The video shows a confused Collin awkwardly blinking at the camera while waiting at Popeyes when someone is confusing him with another kid. The short clip became popular, and Popeyes later used it.
Collin is now a 6-foot-1 and 315 lbs. senior offensive lineman, nicknamed “The Killer Whale,” at East Orange High School squad in New Jersey. His team recently won the state championship title following a triple-overtime victory.
Because of new NCAA rules, Collin can profit off his name, image and likeness. So he returned to the source of his internet stardom and tagged Popeyes in a post.
“This is the opportunity I can get with Popeyes,” Collin said. “I went on Instagram and decided to post, asking everyone to repost and tag Popeyes, not knowing I would get all the support I got. People just started to join on my post and people on the ‘SportsCenter’ post, and Monday afternoon, Popeyes DM’ed me and said we want to work with you.”
Popeyes announced they’re partnering with Collin on a NIL sponsorship on Thursday. He will appear on Popeyes Billboards in his home state. He also said that because of the attention to this deal, he is already starting to hear from other companies on potential contracts.
