Who is Nick Sanders? Meet Barry Sanders' son, Michigan State walk-on, ahead of March Madness

Barry Sanders is heading to his second NCAA Tournament — sort of.

The former Detroit Lion and NFL running back will once again be in the stands behind the Michigan State bench watching the Spartans and his son, Nick, on Thursday against 8 seed Mississippi State in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Nick Sanders is one of the several walk-on members this year for the Spartans. The Franklin, Michigan native is in his second year as a member of the Michigan State basketball program.

Here's what to know about Nick Sanders as the Spartans get set for another March run:

Is Nick Sanders related to Barry Sanders?

Sanders is the second-oldest son of the legendary NFL running back. The elder Sanders, of course, is one of the only running back in NFL history to run for over 1,000 yards in each of his 10 seasons in the NFL, all with the Detroit Lions. He finished with 15,269 total rushing yards in his 10 seasons in the Motor City.

Barry Sanders is also one of the best-ever college football players, playing three seasons at Oklahoma State. Sanders took the college ranks by storm his junior season — finishing with nearly 2,700 rushing yards with 37 rushing touchdowns — as he was named the 1988 Heisman Award winner.

"It's probably my most favorite thing to do in life, just being an MSU dad and enjoying seeing the team and seeing Nick and Coach (Tom) Izzo," Barry Sanders told The Detroit Free Press in June.

Nick Sanders age

Nick Sanders is 20 years old. He is a sophomore walk-on guard for the Spartans.

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Nick Sanders stats at Michigan State

• Career: 14 games, 0.2 points per game and 1-for-5 shooting from the field

• 2023-24: Eight games, 0.4 points per game and 1-for-3 shooting from the field

Sanders, who was named a walk-on for the Spartans before the 2022 season, has seen limited time in his two seasons in East Lansing. The 5-foot-10 guard recorded his first basket of his collegiate career back on Dec. 22 when he hit a 3-pointer in the final minutes of Michigan State's 99-95 win over Stony Brook, on an assist from Steven Izzo, the son of Michigan State coach Tom Izzo.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Nick Sanders age, dad, more to know of Michigan State basketball walk-on