C.J. Sanders, a child star who played young Ray Charles in ‘Ray,’ is a sought-after football recruit

You might not remember Sanders’ name but there is a good chance you’ve seen him. He has nine movie or TV show acting credits to his name, according to IMDB, and had one pretty notable role as a young Ray Charles in the critically acclaimed movie “Ray.” Now Sanders is a popular recruit from Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy in the class of 2015, with offers already from Mississippi State, Stanford and Tennessee, according to Rivals. He also has a pretty strong connection with Ohio State, since his father Chris Sanders was a star receiver for the Buckeyes in the 1990s and spent seven seasons with the Tennessee Titans franchise from 1995-2001.

Lining up as a FBS player would be a big deal for anyone, but that moment probably won’t be too big for Sanders.

In an interview with BuckeyeGrove.com Sanders said he took some lessons from Jamie Foxx, who was the star of “Ray” and also played quarterback Willie Beamon in “Any Given Sunday,” and transferred them to football.

“Just being around him, he showed me how to work hard and how to be in character for a scene, but I also took that into football, how you have to prepare and how you have to focus,” Sanders, who said he was 6 years old when he was in “Ray,” told BuckeyeGrove.com.

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