Titus Vidlak fondly remembers roaming the sidelines of Hidden Valley High School (Grants Pass, OR) while his father, Mark, coached his elder brothers, Sam and Nate.
He was always looking to soak up the moments while his brothers played.
But little did he understand then the enormous shadow his elder brothers cast, both with historic prep careers and Division I collegiate careers.
So how does the second-youngest Vidlak respond to sitting in the shadows of his elder brothers?
By breaking the Idaho career touchdown record during his senior season, of course.
"I always kind of wanted to be one of the people on the big field when I was little," Titus told USA TODAY Sports. "So, I definitely looked up to them and now it's my turn. It's pretty exciting, always kind of watching your older brothers do cool stuff and then it's finally your turn, you get to go play."
Titus and the Fruitland Grizzlies (5-3) take on Cole Valley Christian (Meridian, ID) on Friday, Oct. 23, in the regular season finale and Titus' senior night.
Sam and Nate set the standard for Titus Vidlak
Both Sam and Nate were all-state players in high school in Oregon. Sam won Oregon Class 3A Player of the Year in football in 2019 after leading Hidden Valley to its first state championship game in 41 years. He was also a baseball standout.
Nate was a dominant pitcher and quarterback, winning the 2021 Oregon Class 4A Player of the Year in baseball after leading the Mustangs to their first-ever state title in baseball.
With Sam playing quarterback and Nate at receiver, the duo led Hidden Valley to the Class 3A state championship game in 2019, where Sam threw for an OSAA state championship game-record 479 yards. Mark served as the Hidden Valley offensive coordinator and the head baseball coach.
Sam went on to a collegiate career spanning Oregon State, Boise State, Montana and Stephen F. Austin, while Nate elected to attend College of Idaho for both baseball and football, foregoing a baseball scholarship at Oregon.
"It's definitely impacted me in a way where I've definitely looked up to them a lot," Titus said. "They, along with my dad, have been my coaches throughout my career. I was always kind of around them. They always work really hard. So I would say whenever they go to the field, I just tag along and be the snapper or catcher, do whatever I can."
Following Nate's graduation in 2022, the family moved to Idaho.
“(We) wanted a better life and a chance to see Sam at Boise State and Nate at College of Idaho," Mark told USA TODAY Sports.
Titus Vidlak conducts a record-breaking career
Titus has more than lived up to the legacies that his brothers put together in their prep careers as a two-time conference offensive player of the year and the 4A All-Idaho Player of the Year as a junior.
He has scored 113 touchdowns entering play on Friday, Oct. 23. Titus broke the record previously set by Keegan Duncan (106), who went on to play linebacker at Utah State and win Idaho's Gatorade Player of the Year in 2018.
He broke Duncan's 2018 record on Sept. 18 in a 41–13 road win over Bonners Ferry (ID). That night Titus scored six total touchdowns (three passing and three rushing) to go along with 297 passing yards and 98 rushing yards.
"I didn't know I was in the running for it and I didn't really know they kept track of it," Titus said with a laugh.
Before that game, Titus had no knowledge that he was close to breaking any record. Neither did Sam. Mark kept everyone in the dark.
That was until wide receivers coach Matt Frye informed the team following the game about Titus' record-breaking performance.
"In the locker room after the game, our receivers coach gave an awesome speech and surprised me with a plaque and a cool shirt, so I was excited about that," Titus said. "So I was really surprised, but I was definitely super excited and thankful."
"I was definitely blindsided by it as well," Sam added.
Now, Titus is on the cusp of more Idaho state history. Entering play on Friday, he has 9,149 career yards. That trails Tanner Magnum (Eagle High School) by 450 yards (9,599) for the most career yardage in Idaho history.
Titus will have one more regular season game and at least one playoff game to break the record.
Sam Vidlak serving as offensive coordinator
In his collegiate career, Sam finished with 5,733 career passing yards, 57 touchdowns and 15 interceptions across five seasons with Oregon State, Boise State, Montana, and Stephen F. Austin. He threw for 5,073 yards, 49 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2024 and 2025.
After his collegiate career, Sam said he wanted to coach in some capacity at the high school level. He took the role of offensive coordinator and coached his brother in his senior season, joining his father's coaching staff. Mark is in his final year as a high school coach, a role he began in 1998.
"When I knew I was going to be around here, I definitely knew I wanted to coach and then I was just wanting to help any way I could," Sam said. "To me, it was less about the role and more about getting to invest in Titus and all his teammates and make some special memories coaching with my dad and getting to coach Titus."
"I am probably the first guy ever to walk into the all-time touchdown record holder my first year as an offensive coordinator," Sam added with a laugh.
Titus has been a four-year starter for Fruitland. He had 617 passing yards as a 14-year-old during his freshman season. As a sophomore, he threw 2,642 all-purpose yards and 33 touchdowns.
In his junior season, Titus finished with 2,720 yards passing, 32 touchdowns and two interceptions, while adding 880 rushing yards and 14 more scores to earn Idaho Statesman's 4A All-Idaho Player of the Year.
Titus has continued to improve, completing 73-of-103 passes for six touchdowns and two interceptions, while adding 81 rushes for 829 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns in his senior season. This despite missing one game with mononucleosis and losing another due to an opponent forfeit.
He's soaking in every moment to learn from his brother, too.
"It's been really special for sure, Titus said. "Sam definitely has a lot of knowledge and knows what it's like to be a quarterback. He's really detailed and it's just really fun."
From Idaho to Montana State
After a historic prep career, Titus will follow in his elder brother's footsteps and head to Division I football.
247Sports Composite Rankings rank him as a three-star QB in the 2027 class, and he has been committed to Montana State since Dec. 21, 2025.
While he is committed to Montana State, Titus also holds offers from Stephen F. Austin, Sacramento State, and most recently, New Mexico. However, the Bobcats were the first team to really recruit him, and that helped him stay committed.
"They believed in me early, before really any schools were talking to me about potentially going there," Titus said. "The coaching staff there is amazing. They just came off an (FCS) National Championship, have great coaches and a scheme that fits me well."
Sam admitted he attempted to get his younger brother to follow in his footsteps by attending Stephen F. Austin, where Nate also ended his collegiate baseball career in 2025.
By committing to Montana State, Titus is ready to make his own collegiate path.
"(Stephen F. Austin) was my first offer," Titus said. "(Sam) definitely guided me for a lot of the recruiting, but never really told me exactly where to go.
Titus said having time to watch both his elder brothers play the position before him, he's picked parts of their game to add to his own.
"They both have parts of their game that I've definitely tried to model," Titus said. "Sam throws it like nobody I've ever seen, and Nate throws it on the run like nobody I've ever seen. So they are both definitely just studs, so it's good."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stepping out of brother's shadows, this Idaho QB set the state TD record