The University of North Carolina's women's tennis programme is experiencing an unprecedented surge in social media attention, and it's largely thanks to a freshman star with an extraordinary connection to the NFL.
From Viral Sensation to College Recruit
Anna Frey, who signed with UNC just two months ago, has brought a staggering online following to the Tar Heels. The freshman boasts over 800,000 followers on Instagram and a colossal 2.2 million on TikTok. Her viral fame stems from an uncanny resemblance to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, a likeness first spotted by social media users around the 2023 Super Bowl.
The impact on the team's online presence is immediate and dramatic. When the programme shared photos and videos from its season-opening win over Campbell this week, posts featuring Frey amassed almost 80,000 likes on Instagram – over 70,000 more than their other recent content. Her signing announcement alone has garnered 200,000 likes on the platform.
Lucrative NIL Deals Before Setting Foot on Campus
Frey has masterfully leveraged her online fame into a portfolio of lucrative Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) agreements. Before even arriving in Chapel Hill, she secured deals with major brands including American Eagle, Nerds, FILA, and Head USA.
This commercial success has seen her NIL valuation skyrocket. According to the college sports site On3, Frey's current NIL value stands at a staggering $681,000. This figure previously made her the top-ranked valuation in women's high school tennis and now places her sixth in the overall women's college sports ranking, trailing only elite stars from basketball, golf, and softball.
A Promising Athletic Career Beyond the Hype
While her social media fame is remarkable, Frey is also a highly accomplished tennis recruit in her own right. She joined UNC as a top prospect, having been ranked as high as No. 2 nationally in her recruiting class. Her junior resume includes being a two-time semi-finalist at the USTA Billie Jean King Girls' 16s National Championships.
On the professional circuit, Frey has already achieved a career-high WTA ranking of No. 803 in the world and notably defeated the world No. 103 at the 2024 Cleveland 250K WTA event. Her journey from viral lookalike – which even earned her a brand-sponsored trip to the 2023 Super Bowl – to a promising collegiate athlete demonstrates a unique blend of modern celebrity and sporting prowess, setting a new precedent for how social media fame can intersect with university sports programmes.
