Itap never what you think as a parent, the path to Happily Ever After.
Brock Huard threw 1,003 passes in college and the NFL. But there is one thing he could no longer pass on. Two years ago, son Titus began his varsity journey at Valor Christian as a freshman.
And a phone call changed everything.
“He called me after a game and told me he would really love to have me around,” Brock recalled of a conversation he had on the road while working as a top Fox Sports college football analyst. “It was a no-brainer. I had helped with his youth teams at practice and missed games. This was different. I was trying to follow along while I was in production meetings. It was no longer tenable.”
He could hear it in Titus’ voice. It was time for Brock to come home.
He finished out his contract and went about figuring out the next step. The Huards are a family of terrific women’s basketball players and football stars. And, fingers crossed, Titus might be the best one yet.
Entering his junior season, he stands 6-foot-5, weighs 210 pounds, has catcher’s mitts for hands and an right arm that can throw a football over them mountains.
“He can rip it,” said Valor Christian receiver Jackson Falko. “I am talking 70 yards, easy.”
The size, the talent, and the family genetics have become catnip for college coaches. Huard is quickly becoming one of the most recruited quarterbacks in our state’s history. He has more than 25 offers, including from Oregon and Ohio State. He held a private workout for Buckeyes coach Ryan Day and starred at a Clemson invite camp with Dabo Swinney watching.
“And one day when I was walking to class, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman called,” said Huard, who plans to make his college decision after this season. “It has been a bit surreal.”
If anyone is fit to navigate this journey without his ego filling with helium, it is Titus. Talk to him for a few minutes, and it is obvious he is drenched in ambition with the work ethic to match.
And humility comes easily in this family.
It is hard to brag when your mom, Molly, was her high school’s all-time career scoring leader and a star at the University of Washington, your two sisters excelled in hoops — Haley at Montana and Macey is finishing her career with the Huskies — and dad was the National High School Player of the Year at Puyallup (Wash.), where he played for his legendary father, Mike.
“I have been able to learn so much, listening to them and watching what they have gone through. Mom definitely keeps me level-headed,” Titus said. “And obviously, my dad, he has walked along the same path as I want to.”
So, about the fit? How could Brock make this work? Valor’s program underwent tumult, leading to a change in leadership. Longtime college assistant and former CU interim Mike Sanford took over as head coach in February of 2025.
Sanford had long known Brock, 30 years, he figures. Sanford’s dad coached at USC when Brock played at Washington, and Sanford was a ball boy.
Who wouldn’t want this kind of help? But it had to come with guardrails.
“I established a rule that no parent can coach his son’s direct position group,” Sanford said. “With high-profile parents, it can be a double-edged sword. Sometimes it can be hard for the kid to live up to the hype, where reality doesn’t meet expectations. But I definitely wanted Brock on staff.”
Brock found a spot as the tight ends coach. He had played there briefly in high school.
“I thought Mike’s rule was very wise because there have been some complications at Valor with this before,” Brock said. “I was so happy he opened a door. And it makes it a lot easier to let Mike coach (Titus) because this guy really knows his stuff.”
Splitting time as a sophomore, Titus threw for 1,946 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions.
There were moments, Sanford explained, that screamed he was different. Like when he helped the Eagles drop 70 points on Erie in the state playoffs. You can see it on his highlight film, after one play when he gets drilled and drops a dime 50 yards down the field, or on an RPO when he fakes out the end and crashes through a linebacker.
Sanford can draw from many files when judging quarterbacks. He said he has not coached one as talented as Titus since he had Andrew Luck at Stanford and Jordan Love at Utah State. Sanford can break down the mechanics of why Titus is special — he has a dynamic release, which is not always the case for a player his size — and is decisive. But it goes beyond the tape.
“I knew something when I saw him on the basketball court. He defends. He gets after it,” Sanford said. “He was a dawg on the court.”
Sanford made no concessions for Titus. He competed with standout Dawson Olk, now at Colorado Mines, every day for the starting job. The type of pressure helped when some of the country’s best college coaches started flocking to the Valor Christian campus.
Sanford estimates he has run 20 workouts for Huard in between classes.
“Everyone is like Fernando Mendoza’s pro day,” joked Brock.
Titus embraced the process. Get a text. Grab the gear. And go to work.
“I love the challenge. I love competing,” said Titus, who did not begin playing tackle football until seventh grade. “If I wanted to play as a 15 and 16-year-old, I had to grow up. So when you have a chance like this to throw for coaches, it is a blessing.”
Titus looks like a leader just by the way he stands so tall in the pocket. While it is easy to assume teammates might gravitate to him because of his last name, he has earned their respect.
“His preparation is what separates him,” said Falko, his frequent target when the coaches needed to see Huard throw. “He puts in the time.”
It is not uncommon for Titus and Brock to watch film of practice and games. Sanford says Titus is “an elite processor.” Sometimes, Molly has to remind them to escape back to reality.
Make no mistake, Brock is not about making the process joyless. Listen to any of his broadcasts over 19 years, and he is reasonable and insightful, which is why he still maintains his longtime radio gig on “Brock & Salk” live on Seattle Sports 710 AM.
For Brock, the romanticism of Friday Night Lights still exists. He traveled the country for 19 years as a broadcaster. He has seen how sports have become business and how NIL deals have turned relationships into transactions.
Part of the reason he left the booth is that he knows what this can mean for his son.
“When Christian McCaffrey got his jersey retired at Valor last year, he shared a story from the heart with our players. That high school football is the best it gets as far as a brotherhood,” Brock said. “It is a time to really lock into friends, your community, have fun and go for it.”
Titus is beginning to understand. The text messages, the phone calls, the offers from famous coaches, they don’t mean a thing “if I don’t keep the main thing the main thing, and focus on playing well for my teammates and helping us win.”
He is practically smiling when he says it. This is a special chapter in his life. He is thrilled that Dad is there to see it.
“I am lucky to have the support and perspective of my family,” Titus said. “And having him in my corner is so cool.”
