‘Five dudes, a camera, and a friendly bet’. That’s how Dude Perfect describe themselves on their website. And that lowkey, laid-back attitude towards their global reach explains why they’ve remained so popular, with a following that are invested in all their ventures.
Who is Dude Perfect?
Well, they really are just five dudes: twins Cory and Coby Cotton, Cody Jones, Garrett Hilbert, and Tyler Toney. The majority of Dude Perfect are former college roommates, attending Texas A&M University.
Proof that everything really is bigger in Texas, the dudes have gone from college to world record-holding multimillionaires.
From sandwiches to global fame
Getting that bread - as the kids say - is all about making the money. And Dude Perfect has got more bread than the bakeries in Texas these days. With over 60 million followers as of January 2025, endorsement deals, and regulars on ESPN, they owe it all to a sandwich.
Everything began with the Backyard Edition, a video where they took basketball shots and bet sandwiches.
What followed was a series of trick-shot videos, including one of their first from a Christian summer camp which skyrocketed them to new levels of fame.
But it was what they did after that fame that cemented who they were - and who they’d remain being. Just five dudes, hanging out, and keeping it humble. For every 100,000 views the first trick shot video received, Dude Perfect pledged to sponsor a child from Compassion International.
How Dude Perfect kept a clean sheet
More trick shots followed, and more followers came with it. As did more opportunities.
ESPN‘s E:60 contacted the group for a segment, and on the third floor of Texas A&M’s Kyle Field, Tyler Toney converted a shot, which traveled 3.9 seconds, a world record at the time.
For these amateurs - or 5 best buds just kickin’ it as their YouTube bio describes - soon they were in the big leagues. Dude Perfect went on to collaborate with some of the best athletes all over the world, including Serena Williams and Aaron Rogers.
No tricks in their business shots
Pound it, Noggin’ has become something of a warcry for the dudes - and they’ve used their noggins when it comes to making the most of every shot they’ve been given.
Part of their success has been capturing that meeting point where fun and business merge. They know how to scale, how to strike while the iron’s hot, but it’s done in a way that elevates the core foundation of who they are as Dude Perfect.
Realizing most of their fans are people just like them, they branched out without selling out.
A world tour bringing their brand of everyday humor and positivity to people’s hometowns sold out. A documentary that brings their fans a deeper, more personal look at their evolution. Even launching their own official store stocking everything from tees to baseball caps and sporting goods.
Scaling up, staying humble
They aren’t the first content creators to branch out, but what Dude Perfect understand all too well is their audience.
Their merch is lowkey. It’s something people would wear on campuses, or to the gym, or to shoot hoops with friends. It’s not overpriced. They aren’t being swayed to do collabs that push them into new price brackets.
And this authenticity is key to everything they do. They stick together. They have fun. They give back. It really is as simple as that. And when it’s working, why would they change it?
Lessons from Dude Perfect's Playbook
Branching out doesn’t mean changing - diversifying revenue streams and scaling up doesn’t have to be a bad thing, or be considered selling out, if…
You always keep your fan base in mind - sometimes, creators and brands can go wrong by trying to win over the demographics they don’t have. Dude Perfect know who they are, and they know who their fans are.
