BYU gains a welcome, if not expected, return from a top contributor.
The good news just keeps on coming. Fresh off the back of Kenneth Davis Jr.’s commitment to BYU, Richie Saunders took to Instagram to announce his own decision on Saturday: a return to BYU for his senior season.
With a skillset that certainly translates to the NBA, Saunders understandably took his time to make the decision, doing so just a few hours before the NBA Draft early entry deadline. His return is as impactful as any commitment the Cougars will land this offseason. While he might not bring the eyeballs to Provo that AJ Dybantsa does, make no mistake, BYU will go as far as Richie takes them.
A First-Team All-Big 12 member, Saunders had a break out season in 2024-2025, averaging 16.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He brought elite efficiency too, shooting 51.8% from the field and 43.2% from 3 on over five attempts per game.
And the moment is never too big for the sharpshooter either. He hit the game winning free throws in the final seconds on the road at Arizona, and came up with a huge 3 in the final minute against Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament. In the NCAA tournament, Saunders rose to the occasion once again, leading the Cougars with 22 points per game on almost 60% shooting. Defensively, Richie might be BYU’s best on ball defender, and will certainly be the first to the floor to capture a loose ball.
His return makes BYU not just a contender, but one of the favorites to win the Big 12 next season. The duo of Saunders and Dybantsa may just be the best pairing to watch in all of College Basketball. With some other key returns such as Keba Keita and Dawson Baker, and transfers Rob Wright III, Dominique Diomande, and Kenneth Davis Jr., the Cougars will be looking for an even deeper March run next year, with the Final Four and a National Championship being the goal, not just a dream.
Quick trigger 3s are back. Floaters are back. Tater tots are back. With Richie Saunders back, the sky is the limit and BYU might just be loading up its most anticipated season ever.
Should Richie Saunders consider a jump from BYU to the NBA?
BYU’s breakout star piece has a big decision to make.
For the first time in a while, NBA scouts flocked to Provo this past season to get every look they could at Egor Demin. But despite the freshman grabbing the early headlines and putting together a great season, it was most often Richie Saunders who impressed those inside the Marriott Center.
The junior guard lead BYU in scoring with 16.5 points per game, shooting 43.2% from 3, and receiving First-Team All-Big 12 honors. And when news came in that his great-grandfather invented the tater tot, he received national attention, a nice NIL deal, and cemented himself as one of the greats.
But where do things stand as of now? Well, Saunders and all other players have until Saturday night at 9:59 MT to declare as early entrants for the 2025 NBA draft. Even after doing so, it is possible to go through the pre-draft process without hiring an agent and decide to withdraw your name later on. This method is often a popular idea, giving players real feedback from NBA teams and scouts about what they need to improve on the most.
Recently, guys like Corey Kispert (Gonzaga) and Jalen Wilson (Kansas) have successfully gone this route, returning for their senior seasons to receive First-Team All-American honors, and are now carving out successful careers in the NBA.
But even today things are more complicated than they were a few years ago. NIL deals have exploded, and Saunders could make a lot of money playing one more year for the Cougars. But what might push Saunders towards the NBA sooner rather than later is his age.
At 23, he is already one of the older draft prospects, well ahead of the preferred 18-19-year-old players that teams look for. You can look at this one of two ways: 1. Saunders is an older prospect who needs to get to the NBA as soon as possible. Or 2. He is already one of the oldest prospects, so what does one more year matter?
