LSU May Not Want Dunne on Floor, but Razorbacks' Marketing Team Does

Arkansas stands to gain much if social media starlet performs in Top 10 gymnastics showdown

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – There is a corner of the world out there where LSU's Olivia Dunne is known for more than her gymnastics – much more. 

To most of adult America she is relatively unknown. Were she to wander through the Allen's grocery store up in Bella Vista in the late morning on a weekday, pretty much no one would bat an eye at the young blonde. However, if she were to frequent places and times more conducive to a generation that spent much of its life swiping away on Instagram and setting up cell phones in high school hallways to record short dance routines for TikTok, she would probably barely be able to breathe.

Unfortunately for both LSU and Arkansas, this is the world in which Dunne has been buried the past few weeks. In key Top 10 showdowns against SEC rivals Kentucky and Missouri, Dunne was nowhere to be found. The closest anyone saw her as far as competition was an Instagram post of Dunne in her LSU leotard prior to the meet last Friday.

(Olivia Dunne Instagram)

Dunne reportedly has over 13 million followers on social media. She also garners roughly $3.5 million in reported NIL money, making her one of the highest paid athletes in any college sport. 

All indications are the senior social media starlet's absence has been at the discretion of gymnastics coach Jay Clark as Dunne has been seen on the sidelines cheering on her teammates. She last performed in a quad meet against No. 1 Oklahoma, her 9.85 on floor being enough to count toward what was one of the best team floor scores in college gymnastics this season.

Her absence from competition has both concerned and upset many of her followers who relish any opportunity to get to see her do anything, much less pull off an elegant floor routine. And this is where the hopes of her return by the Arkansas athletics department kicks in.

The Razorbacks have become a national power in gymnastics and have steadily grown in popularity to the point Barnhill Arena is struggling to be able to continue hosting the program. A big part of this growth can be attributed to not only regular appearances on television Friday nights in winter when there's nothing else going, but a special night when Auburn freshman and Olympic champion Suni Lee came to Fayetteville. 

Arkansas coach Jordyn Wieber, an Olympic gold medalist herself, convinced the administration to let gymnastics host a meet in Bud Walton Arena for the first time ever because of demand. What resulted was a record-setting electric atmosphere as a building brimming with potential lifelong fans experienced a great product and a unique experience. 

From there, things snowballed as the number of people who follow the team and attend meets has grown. The events have become popular with students who have put together a section that pushes those at pretty much any of the other Arkansas sports for its rowdiness and positive energy projected onto the athletes.

If Dunne gets to compete down in Baton Rouge on Friday, it offers the Razorbacks yet another chance to expand the fan base. Sure, it's not a home meet, but to have young people across Arkansas tune in for Dunne and see the national championship quality product the Razorbacks are putting on in each of these events will have a ripple effect.

One Friday night a lot of those people who watched for the first time will mindlessly scroll through the channel guide and see Arkansas gymnastics on the schedule and take in yet another meet. Then, on another Friday night with nothing to do, they'll head down to Dickson Street and get a pizza with friends or family before joining in on the fun at a live meet to see if the in-person experience holds up.

Dunne's a social influencer. She has tons of NIL value. And for Arkansas, her being on the mat this Friday night is an influence that can have major implications for a program on the rise. Razorback fans crave a quality experience and a winner, and right now no one is providing that on campus any better than Wieber's group of elite gymnasts.
They just need Dunne to provide a few extra eyeballs.

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