What is life like beyond the University of Miami for the 22-year-old Cavinder twins?
That’s what college seniors Haley and Hanna Cavinder pondered during an appearance on the “BFFs” podcast, where the social media sensations discussed next steps and future situations with the Hurricanes’ women’s basketball team.
“I’m going to try to make her stay,” Haley said of Hanna, with whom she shares 4.3 million TikTok followers.
Haley Cavinder (14) and Hanna Cavinder (15) celebrate after the Miami Hurricanes beat Florida State on Feb. 9, 2023, at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables. TNS
“It’s not like we want to split it,” he said, referring to their brand deals.
Considered two of the highest-paid college athletes, the Cavinder twins have earned seven figures in NIL deals since NCAA rules changed in 2021, allowing student-athletes to capitalize on their name, image and likeness.
The duo signed a NIL deal with WWE in December 2021.
As far as athletics go, while Haley’s opinion about returning to the court may seem contrived, Hanna isn’t sure.
“(Hanna) might not want to play our fifth year, so that’s the only reason,” Haley said. “I love hooping, so I was like I want to come back for a fifth year. But Hanna says more: ‘I want to start my life'”.
Haley and Hanna Cavinder in September 2022.
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In fact, the Cavinder sisters don’t know if they want to be influencers after college.
“I just want to make an impact, you get into it, it’s really hard work and being able to keep up with social media and everything that comes with it, props to everybody, it’s really hard,” Haley said.
“It’s not 9-5… Sometimes I’m like social media is really, really horrible and I want to have a life outside of it. But I also know that the money is there and I’m going to use it and take advantage of it.”
That said, Hanna and Haley “don’t know 100 percent” exactly what they want to do after the University of Miami.
“(Influencing and WWE) could be in the future, but I think it’s more than passive income and we’re in health and fitness, so we’re trying to build a brand with that and then we really want to get into real estate,” Hanna said. .
Haley Cavinder in February 2023.
Hanna Cavinder in Arizona in December 2022.
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“Obviously we’re going to use the whole influence thing, but we don’t want to just create TikTok dances because maybe we’re not in the same situation.”
Cavinder’s comments come shortly after the siblings were embroiled in a collegiate scandal in which the University of Miami women’s basketball program was sanctioned by the NCAA in the governing body’s first NIL infections ruling.
An NCAA investigation found that a meeting between famed Hurricanes booster John Ruiz and the Cavinder twins, including their parents, at his Miami home violated certain recruiting rules.
The Cavinder twins, who rose to fame during the COVID-19 pandemic, transferred from Fresno State to Miami in April 2022.
Haley and Hanna Cavinder in February 2023. Twitter
While they were on the verge of transfers, Haley and Hanna, along with their parents, had a chef-prepared dinner with Ruiz at their home in Miami.
Ruiz then shared a photo with the Cavinder family that showed the team posing outside their home, which the NCAA said sparked the investigation.
The student-athletes were not sanctioned by the NCAA.