Barry Sanders, Jr., has obtained a release to transfer from Stanford, and is considering a move to Oklahoma State, where his father played before embarking upon a Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the Detroit Lions.
"That's definitely an option," Sanders said, according to the Oklahoman. "I have not been in contact with those guys yet, but I would like to see what they have to offer. Hopefully we can find some common ground."
The younger Sanders was among the top running back recruits in the nation in high school, but played sparingly over three seasons with the Cardinal. And with Stanford returning star Christian McCaffrey, a Heisman Trophy finalist who just broke the elder Sanders' NCAA record for single-season all-purpose yardage (3,864 yards), things didn't look promising for the younger Sanders to have a larger role in 2016.
Sanders told the Oklahoman his release permits him to transfer anywhere outside the Pac-12 Conference. Oklahoma State, a Big 12 team, has a very different situation at running back. The Cowboys' leading rusher this year, Chris Carson, had just 517 yards on the season and the team's second-leading rusher was a quarterback, J.W. Walsh. As such, Sanders would likely find a far better opportunity for playing time at Oklahoma State if he were to transfer to the school.
Sanders rushed for 315 yards on 51 carries this season, posting a better per-carry average (6.2) than McCaffrey (6.0). His father played at Oklahoma State from 1986-1988, and finished his career with one of the most prolific rushing seasons in NCAA history in averaging more than 200 yards per game with 37 touchdowns.
Oklahoma State was Sanders' second choice behind Stanford as a high school recruit. Florida State and Alabama were his other top choices.
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