LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne announces she’s returning to compete for a fifth year

Gymnast Olivia Dunne is returning to compete for a fifth year at LSU.

Dunne, 21, announced her decision on social media on Monday with the caption “not Dunne yet” and a video in which she read a letter to LSU fans that narrated clips from her previous four years of competition.

Competing in the uneven bars and floor routine, Dunne was part of an LSU women’s gymnastics team that won its first national championship in school history in April. The Tigers finished in first ahead of Cal at the NCAA championships. Utah and Florida finished in third and fourth place, respectively.

Dunne has also been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in each of her four years at LSU.

Besides the opportunity to compete for another national title under coach Jay Clark, Dunne has some personally lucrative reasons to return to LSU for a fifth year. She’s one of the most marketable athletes in college athletics with huge social media followings on TikTok and Instagram that surpass those of any other NCAA competitor.

As a result, Dunne is among the very top NIL earners among NCAA athletes, receiving millions of dollars per year. She reportedly draws the most NIL income among female college athletes. She is one of the LSU athletes to be featured in an upcoming Prime Video docuseries on NIL titled “The Money Game,” along with Angel Reese, Jayden Daniels and Flau’Jae Johnson.