Everything Cameron Tidd achieves in life happens without the slightest hint of self-promotion.
Tidd won three high school state championships at Center Grove (two individual, one team) in his customary quiet, expressionless fashion.
The 6-foot-3, 296-pound redshirt junior is projected to be one of Vanderbilt’s starting defensive tackles when the Commodores open the season at home against Georgia. Not that you’ll hear any of it — or much of anything else, for that matter — from Tidd.
The oldest of Brock and Carla Tidd’s three sons, the 22-year-old Cameron is a throwback in that self-worth is determined by hard work rather than the number of Facebook likes or Instagram followers.
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“The best way to put it with Cameron is that he remains a humble kid,” said Brock Tidd, a 1994 Decatur Central graduate who was a two-time all-Marion County baseball player for the Hawks. “He’s not one to boast or brag or be the highlight of an article. Cameron does what he does and he enjoys what he does.
"As a family, we keep to ourselves and try to be good people. I guess it kind of runs in our family.”
Tidd redshirted the 2017 season at Vanderbilt but has since started 16 games, including all 13 a year ago. The Commodores were 6-7 last season, capped by a 45-38 loss to Baylor in the Texas Bowl. Tidd finished the season with 24 tackles, a career-best five coming in a regular-season loss at Kentucky.
The upcoming season marks the second straight year Vanderbilt plays a game in Tidd’s home state. The Commodores lost a 22-17 decision at Notre Dame in Week 3 a year ago; their Week 2 game this season is at Purdue on Sept. 7.
Not one of the team’s vocal leaders, Tidd is, nonetheless, a leader.
“I’m now the oldest guy for our position group. I have to be an example for the other guys,” Tidd said. “If I’m slacking off for even one play, the younger guys might think maybe they can do it, too. I’m not the most vocal guy, but I think I’ve gotten better.
“Everyone has a different approach to things. Different guys on the team are going to have different roles.”
Former Vanderbilt defensive lineman Jovan Haye is considered one of the best to play the position for the Commodores. Haye, who is entering his first season as the team’s defensive line coach, looks forward to watching Tidd continue his development.
A two-time team captain and all-SEC pick in the early 2000s, Haye wore his emotions on his sleeve as a player. As a coach, he knows it’s necessary to let each of his players be their own person.
“This is an emotional game. For Cameron, he enjoys doing the dirty work, but every now and then you can let out a scream or flex,” Haye said. “It would blow my mind if I ever saw that, but he’s speaking more than he used to. He’s starting to become more comfortable, and the more comfortable he gets the better he’s going to get.
“One of the things I’m most impressed with is Cameron is he’s a really, really good teammate who shows up every day. I want him to take the next step. You normally see a big jump in a player from his sophomore to his junior season.”
