This season has been absolutely wild for countless reasons, the most odd of which has been strongly tied to potatoes.
Yeah, potatoes. In a surprising reveal, BYU Cougar guard, Richie Saunders, has been declared the rightful heir to the tater tot throne. The reasoning? His great-grandfather, F. Nephi Griggs, was a founder of Ore-Ida, and incidentally the inventor of the tater tot.
When this information was broken, the internet, in turn, likewise fell to pieces. The memes were plentiful. The story was ceaselessly aggregated. I'm almost certain that this internet article isn't the first time you've heard this information.
Richie Saunders' Great-Grandfather invented Tater Tots, which has led to an NIL deal with Ore-Ida 🥔🥔 @BYUMBB pic.twitter.com/ipL5UAG9VE
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2025
Here's the interesting catch, however. At the end of the BYU game against VCU, should the Cougars win, Ore-Ida will be giving away free tater tots for 30 minutes following the final buzzer.
The prize for Saunders if BYU can finally get past the first round? His official coronation as the Tater Tot King. The Heir to the fortune, or "Heir Saunders", as the NIL release proclaimed BYU's sharpshooting guard, is leading the Cougars in a highly challenging first-round draw against VCU.
Want to get your free tots before the "tot clock" runs out? Follow this link here if BYU wins.
Richie has been a revelation in basketball shoes for his BYU basketball team, and it's frankly about time he got a massively public NIL deal. The tater tot angle has been a surprise, but a welcome one. Especially so if BYU fans can celebrate with some tots of their own.
If BYU can go on a run this March, this same deal will be available for fans to score free spuds with every subsequent win.