BYU’s Richie Saunders Scores Big With Tater Tot NIL Deal

DENVER – BYU basketball junior Richie Saunders has landed an NIL deal with Ore-Ida Potatoes.

The “Heir King” has arrived.

BYU’s Richie Saunders has signed an NIL deal with @OreIdaPotatoes.

The campaign is called “Heir Richie.”

For each game BYU wins in the NCAA Tournament, Ore-Ida will give away free tater tots nationwide for 30 minutes following the game. pic.twitter.com/hLhlIUcmLh

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 20, 2025

Ore-Ida, a potato-based frozen foods brand, has signed Saunders to a Name, Image, and Likeness deal.

Marketing Saunders as the “Heir King” is a play-off the Michael Jordan photo shoot when he was a rookie with his Jordan shoes.

Free Tater Tots for America

Ore-Ida is getting fans involved with Saunders’ NIL deal. For every game BYU wins in the NCAA Tournament, Ore-Ida will offer free tater tots for 30 minutes following the game’s conclusion. The tots can be claimed if BYU wins at the link on Ore-Ida’s Instagram page.

BYU takes on No. 11 seed VCU today at 2:05 p.m. (MDT) on TNT and KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM only).

Richie Saunders: Tater Tot star

The story caught fire on social media during the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.

Now it’s time for the NCAA Tournament.

The Tator Tot story has caught College Basketball by storm over the past week or so. Today at the #NCAATournament #BYU‘s Richie Saunders explains the background to him being the great-grandson of the @OreIdaPotatoes founder.#GiveMeYourTots #TatorTots @KSLSports pic.twitter.com/skXxSLy7Au

— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_TV) March 19, 2025

Richie Saunders is gearing up for the NCAA Tournament

If BYU makes a run in the “Big Dance,” don’t be surprised if Saunders’ family ties to the creation of tater tots grab more headlines as Saunders will be playing on a bigger stage in the NCAA Tournament.

Saunders laughed when asked at the NCAA Tournament about his new fame away from the court.

“It’s hilarious. I don’t know where that came out of. It came out of nowhere,” said Saunders.

“My great-grandpa founded Ore-Ida, which founded the tater tot. I don’t even know how it got started. Maybe Tyson (Jex) knows. I don’t know where it came out, but we’ve had a lot of laughs just in our house and had a lot of tater tots.”

The story caught fire when Michael Mower, a Senior Advisor of Community Outreach and Intergovernmental Relations for Governor of Utah Spencer J. Cox, tweeted about the connection on X.

Fun fact: Richie Saunders’s great grandfather invented the tater tot. I had some today to celebrate his All Big 12 First Team honors. He is such a class act, just like his dad, @RichSaunders10. Go Cougars! pic.twitter.com/rhSoDXqNWE

— Michael Mower (@MikeLMower) March 10, 2025

Saunders’s great-grandpa is F. Nephi Grigg, a co-founder of Ore-Ida Potatoes.

In reply to Sam Farnsworth’s video of Richie Saunders discussing the tater tot connection that he shared on X, Ore-Ida Potatoes responded by saying, “when the tot king speaks we listen.”

BYU vs VCU

First Round – 2025 NCAA Tournament

Location: Denver, Colorado

Arena: Ball Arena

Tip-Off: 2:05 p.m. (MDT)

TV: TNT

Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM in Utah – Extended pregame begins at Noon)

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

Take us with you wherever you go.

Download the new and improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. It allows you to stream live radio and video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

Take us with you wherever you go.

Download the new and improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. It allows you to stream live radio and video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.

Follow @Mitch_Harper