Jump on the tot train! BYU’s Richie Saunders becomes tater tot king on way to Sweet 16

Some players thrive in a pressure cooker. BYU’s Richie Saunders prefers the deep fryer.

The hard-nosed forward who fueled BYU’s run to the Sweet 16 is a descendant of the man who invented tater tots. Saunders has cashed in with an endorsement deal that stuck him in advertisements and dishes out the crispy sides for free when BYU wins in the NCAA Tournament.

BYU is hungry for more.

“When all you eat is tater tots,” Saunders said, “it definitely makes it easier.”

The comfort food staple has snagged a place on the school lunch tray at BYU.

BYU coach Kevin Young was amazed it took so long for tots to find their way onto the menu. Saunders has partnered with frozen food brand Ore-Ida — make that Ore-Richie for the length of BYU’s run in the tourney — to become the most popular potato pitchman since Napoleon Dynamite. The Cougars dig in on the crispy snack every chance they get, from ones who grew up eating them with hamburgers and hot dogs, to first-time consumers.

“It was good. It’s potato, I guess,” Russian native and five-star recruit Egor Demin said. “I found out that it’s potato. I always thought it’s something sweet.”

BYU has become the tot of the town during March Madness as it reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since Jimmer Fredette took the Cougars there in 2011. They haven’t played in a regional final since 1981 and could get there with a win Thursday against second-seeded Alabama at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.

Saunders and his tots roots — his great-grandfather, F. “Nephi” Griggs, is the founder of Ore-Ida — has become one of the surprise themes during a tournament largely devoid of bracket-busting upsets. Saunders is quick to note that, yes, tater tots have suddenly become big business for the Big 12’s Most Improved Player, but more than carb-loading has BYU still alive in March.

BYU plays fast, with an emphasis on 3-point shots, where BYU ranks 23rd in the nation in attempts, and on easy buckets in the paint, which has helped it move to 10th in the KenPom offensive efficiency rankings.

“I think the reason we’re here is to play basketball,” Saunders said. “You win [at] basketball, good things happen off the court.”

The good fortune has been no small potatoes for Saunders.

Ore-Ida not only ceremoniously changed its name in tribute to Saunders, the company is giving away free tots nationwide from tipoff to the final buzzer of BYU’s Sweet 16 game. If the Cougars win their first national championship — they are 80-1 longshots, per BetMGM Sportsbook — Ore-Ida will release a new limited-edition offering: “Richie’s Tater Shots,” inspired by his jumper.

“It’s been a super-fun partnership,” Saunders said. “It’s been so random, but so awesome. They’ve been super good.”

Saunders’ connection to the tot blew up during the Big 12 Tournament and the story followed him last weekend to Denver, where BYU beat VCU and third-seeded Wisconsin. Saunders — averaging 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in the tournament — not only studied the game plan, he took a potato pitch.

“I think Ore-Ida has done a really good job because they jumped on the ship real quick,” he said. “They flew a team to Denver when we were there. I think a lot of it is up to them if they want to try to cash in just like I feel like they have. Tater tots have been sold out in Utah County this whole week.”

While some coaches might have worried about the tots becoming a distraction, Young told his players to embrace all the new opportunities in the NIL world.

“Balancing all that has been interesting, especially during a time like this where your focus needs to be so high,” Saunders said. “Usually, I like to just kind of segment myself. I’m going to worry about NIL and all that stuff after the season. [Young] has kind of helped me. For example, being a professional basketball player, you have to have these kind of conversations during the season.”

This is just the tip of the tot at BYU: Win or lose against the Crimson Tide, the Cougars will be joined next season by AJ Dybantsa, the nation’s top recruit who made a splash this season when he signed a NIL deal with BYU reportedly worth between $5 million and $7 million.

Not everyone is pro spud: Three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt — who starred in college at Wisconsin — wrote on social media that he was ” boycotting tater tots for the next 48 hours” after BYU topped the Badgers last weekend.

That’s good news in Utah and for all the BYU spec-taters. More tots for everyone else!

“It’s kind of funny to have tater tots kind of be like the whole thing with the whole team now,” BYU guard Trevin Knell said. “Every time we go to team meals, we’re always joking about, where’s the tater tots. But shout-out to Richie and his great-grandpa, honestly.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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