Ryan Trahan: From College Runner to 24.1M Subscribers

Channel: Ryan Trahan   Who: Ryan Trahan, American YouTuber from Texas   Subscribers: 24.1M (as of 11 November 2026)   Niche: penny challenges, travel and charity road trips

Ryan Trahan is best known for trying to cross whole countries starting with a single penny. His YouTube channel, youtube.com/@ryan, has 24.1 million subscribers, 524 videos and about 6.69 billion views as of 11 November 2026. Nine years earlier it had 14,000 subscribers, and it had just got him ruled ineligible as a college athlete.

A runner with a water bottle company

Trahan was born in Sugar Land, Texas, in 1998 and started his YouTube channel in October 2013. He was a cross country runner, graduated as valedictorian of Rice High School in 2017, and went on to run for Texas A&M University. In 2016 he co-founded a water bottle brand, Neptune Bottle, with a friend, and used his channel to share running tips and training videos while promoting it. According to The Washington Post, Trahan said the company earned more than $50,000 in revenue in its first year.

The NCAA made him choose

In September 2017, weeks into his freshman year, Trahan said he had been ruled ineligible because NCAA rules at the time barred athletes from using their name, image or athletic reputation to promote a business. Sports Illustrated reported that his channel then had 14,000 subscribers. The options he described were stark: keep running and hide the company, or keep the company and never mention his running on social media. He applied for a waiver, but by November 2017 local station KBTX reported he was leaving Texas A&M to grow his business. He dropped out and kept making videos.

Turning a penny into a format

His early challenges, inspired by Gary Vaynerchuk, tried to turn a penny into $1,000 and then into enough money to buy a house. In June 2022 he went bigger: 30 days to get from Los Angeles to MrBeast in Greenville, North Carolina, using only money he earned starting from one penny, by mowing lawns, walking dogs, doing DoorDash deliveries and selling drinks and golf balls. It doubled as a fundraiser for Feeding America with a $100,000 goal. Tubefilter reported the 30 vlogs passed 190 million views and raised $1.38 million for Feeding America, and that he gained two million subscribers in those 30 days. In 2023 he started in Paris with one penny and seven days to reach New York, raising $409,531 for Water.org, according to Tubefilter.

50 states in 50 days

In summer 2025 Trahan and his wife, fellow YouTuber Haley Pham, visited all 50 US states in 50 days, staying in a different Airbnb in each one, to raise $1 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. They hit the first million within two weeks, and St. Jude's campaign page shows $11,657,083 raised. Trahan won the First Person award at the 2023 Streamy Awards, and in 2024 he became co-owner and chief creative officer of the candy brand Joyride.

What other creators can take from it

Trahan's audience does not just watch. They donate, set the rules, and change what happens in the next video. Every $50,000 "Great Reset" or spin of the Wheel of Doom made viewers part of the story. That sense of being on the journey together is what your most loyal followers will pay for, whether it is daily updates, behind-the-scenes footage, or a say in where you go next.

You do not need 24 million subscribers for that. On Yaff you can share behind-the-scenes posts, photo dumps, extra videos and ebooks behind monthly tiers, take tips, and talk to supporters in group chats and DMs. Starter is free with a 5% platform fee; optional Creator ($19/mo) and Pro ($99/mo) plans drop the platform fee to 0%; payouts go to your bank daily via Stripe. Start your free Yaff page and publish your first post, see pricing, or read how to fund your expedition or adventure with memberships and add Yaff to your YouTube channel.

More origin stories: From Dishwasher to 12.7M Subscribers: Casey Neistat, From Printing Shop to 4.5M Subscribers: Kara and Nate and From English Teacher to 7.5M Subscribers: Drew Binsky.

Watch Ryan Trahan on YouTube