Are Nick Sanders, Barry Sanders related? What to know about Michigan State walk-on
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Sunday's Elite 8 slate features Michigan St. vs. Auburn, Tennessee vs. Houston
Mackenzie Salmon breaks down Sunday's Elite Eight matchups.
Sports Seriously
When Michigan State basketball takes on Auburn in the Elite Eight of the men's NCAA Tournament South Region on Sunday, sports fans might come across a familiar name of one of the Spartans bench players.
But it just won't be the player jerseys they are perhaps accustomed to seeing it on, though.
Spartans junior guard Nick Sanders, the son of former NFL legendary running back Barry Sanders and a piano specialist for Tom Izzo, has spent the last three seasons as a walk-on at Michigan State. He's now looking to help Michigan State hang a Final Four banner in East Lansing, Michigan.
Nick Sanders and Michigan State are set to tip off against No. 1 Auburn in the Elite Eight of the South Region on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
REQUIRED READING: Barry Sanders' son, a Michigan State guard, dazzles Tom Izzo with piano skills
A win on Sunday against the Tigers would send the Spartans to their eight Final Four under Izzo, and improve Izzo's record in men's March Madness to 60-25.
Here's what you need to know:
Is Nick Sanders related to Barry Sanders?
Yes, the Michigan State guard is the second-oldest son of the legendary NFL running back.
The elder Sanders, of course, played the entirety of his NFL career with the Detroit Lions and is one of the only running backs in NFL history to run for over 1,000 yards in each of his 10 seasons. He finished with 15,269 total rushing yards in his 10 seasons with the Lions.
Barry Sanders' NCAA single-season rushing record at Oklahoma State was nearly broken this past college football season, as Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty came up 28 rushing yards short. Sanders is one of 40 running backs to be bestowed into college football's most prestigious brotherhood, as he won the Heisman Trophy after his historic junior season with the Cowboys in 1988.
"Excited for this weekend... Who will be in #Atlanta with #SpartyNation?," Barry Sanders wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.
Nick Sanders stats
Nick Sanders, who is in his third season as a walk-on for the Spartans, has once again seen limited playing time this season for the Big Ten regular season champions: 10 games and 15 combined minutes.
He saw two minutes of action in Michigan State's first-round win against No. 15 seed Bryant, where he made a layup off the glass with 53 seconds remaining in the game.
Here's a breakdown of Nick Sanders' stats at Michigan State:
Career: 26 games, 0.4 points and 0.1 rebounds per game while shooting 38.5% from the field
26 games, 0.4 points and 0.1 rebounds per game while shooting 38.5% from the field 2024-25: 10 games, 0.8 points and 0.2 rebounds per game while shooting 57.1% from the field
Where did Barry Sanders go to college?
Barry Sanders attended Oklahoma State, where he quickly became one of the top running backs in college football history.
In three seasons in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Barry Sanders ran for 3,556 rushing yards and 48 rushing touchdowns. He was drafted with the No. 3 overall pick by the Lions in the 1989 NFL draft, where he'd go on to be the Rookie of the Year in the NFL that season.
Here's a year-by-year breakdown of Barry Sanders' stats at Oklahoma State:
1986: 74 carries for 325 rushing yards and two touchdowns
74 carries for 325 rushing yards and two touchdowns 1987: 105 carries for 608 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns; four receptions for 58 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown
105 carries for 608 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns; four receptions for 58 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown 1988: 344 carries for 2,628 rushing yards and 37 rushing touchdowns; 19 receptions for 106 receiving yards
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