Popeyes announced the partnership this month.
A boy who became an internet meme in 2013 for his confused side-eye at a Popeyes restaurant in the United States has grown up to become a college football player and secured a sponsorship from the fast-food business that made him famous.
In 2013, when Dieunerst Collin was just 9 years old, he was waiting in line holding a lemonade cup at Popeyes in New Jersey for his family pack of chicken, biscuits and fries, according to CNN. This is when a stranger pulled out his phone and started recording Collin, comparing him to Lil TeRio, a boy who was famous on social media at the time for his dance moves.
Collin gave the man filming a sideways glance, wondering why he had a camera in his face. The stranger later posted the video on Vine - a video-sharing app, where it went viral and became a widely used GIF to express bewilderment.
Now, Collin, who is 18 years old, is a freshman in college and plays for the football team at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio. Almost a decade after his meme stream, he has come full circle. The restaurant chain Popeyes signed the 18-year-old this month for a sponsorship that will use his name, image and likeness on billboards and other advertisements for the fast-food restaurant.
Speaking to CNN, Collin said that at first, his family wasn't too happy with this social media fame, however, now that it's turned into an opportunity, they're not so mad about it. "When it happened, we didn't want to be in the spotlight. And just having that out there, people were coming to my dad and saying, 'Hey, we've seen your kid on this,' trying to make a joke of it. My dad didn't like it for his kids to be joked on," Collin told the outlet, adding "But now, the fact that I switched it into a blessing, he likes it."
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The deal - commonly referred to as a NIL - allows college athletes to receive compensation from brand partnerships that use their name, image or likeness for marketing and promotional content. Collin revealed that the partnership came to be thanks to a social media campaign fed by him and his fans - with other fast-food chains chiming in to help.
Popeyes announced the partnership this month. Taking to Instagram, the restaurant chain shared an Instagram video of Collin narrating his unlikely tale. The very first billboard featuring Collin also went up last weekend in his hometown of East Orange, New Jersey. It features the viral image and a new picture of the adult Collin mimicking his 9-year-old expression with a larger Popeyes drink in his hand.
Collin told CNN that he's excited about the new partnership, and hopes it ends with him getting his own meal at Popeyes - like rapper Travis Scott and other celebrities have with fast-food chains like McDonald's. Apart from turning his meme into a dream, he also hopes to play professional football and eventually become a sports analyst.