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.