Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

BYU Cougars Basketball Star Expands Clever NIL Deal With New Brand Name

Originally posted on NIL on SI | By Maddy Hudak | Last updated Mar 27, 2025 3:04 PM ET

As the No. 6 BYU Cougars men’s basketball team prepares to face the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, one of their stars is making a similar run off the court with an expanded NIL deal.

While standout forward Richie Saunders may not have asked for the limelight that revealed his family’s famous history, he’s smartly capitalizing on his name, image, and likeness.

Following the disclosure by ESPN that Saunders is the great-grandson of F. “Nephi” Griggs, the founder of Ore-Ida and the inventor of the Tater Tot, he immediately began an NIL partnership with Ore-Ida and is upping the ante ahead of Thursday’s game.

For the first time in company history, Ore-Ida is officially changing their name on Thursday to Ore-Richie in honor of the Cougars star and his impressive postseason performance.

The brand pledged to keep the new name through the entirety of BYU’s run in the tournament.

Ore-Ida announced that, should BYU win the tournament, they will be releasing a limited edition “Richie’s Tater Tots,” inspired by Saunder’s signature jump shot.

It’s a noteworthy deal that marks the company’s first limited edition release in over 20 years.

Credit: ALISON BROD MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS

It would be the first time Ore-Ida featured an athlete on the packaging, and it will feature Heir Richie on every pack in an ode to the classic cereal boxes from players’ childhoods covered with their favorite athletes.

After making it through the first and second rounds of the tournament, the Cougars are on their longest run in nearly 15 years.

Ore-Ida is honoring that with a Tot Clock extension.

Regardless of the outcome against the Crimson Tide, the brand will provide free Tater Tots nationwide throughout the entire game, from the tip-off to the final buzzer.

The link to redeem the free tots will be posted on Ore-Ida’s social channel bios.

It’s an important showing for athletes on ways to continue growing their branding and NIL deals.

In just one partnership, Saunders expanded what started as free tater tots with a first-round win to a first-ever company name change, potential limited edition tots, and free tots nationwide win or lose — the best publicity a team could ask for.

ESPN broke the secret weeks ago that Saunders was the great-grandson of the famous founder and inventor, and that provided an opportunity for the Cougars star to find a perfect brand deal that highlights his persona.

This article first appeared on NIL on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: