Building a core of home-grown stars has been a key to the success of the Surge under head coach Jordan Neuman. Now, the team has signed former Oregon Ducks safety Marko Vidačković. The local player returns to the capital of Baden-Württemberg after seven years in the United States. At just 21 years of age, Vidačković has already gained valuable experience at the highest level of the game. 

From Stuttgart to the US and back

The German put on his helmet and pads for the first time for the Stuttgart Scorpions in 2015, and played for the club until 2017. That same year, he moved to the United States and enrolled at Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon, where he played until 2019. In his senior year, he was named to the Portland Interscholastic League First Team as a safety and wide receiver due to his impressive performance on the field: He finished the season with 38 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, and four interceptions on defense, while also leading the offense with 39 catches for a total of 695 yards and 9 touchdowns in the passing game and 211 yards and two touchdowns in the rushing game.

 

Interest in Vidačković increased

He took his next step in 2020 when he joined the University of Oregon and the Oregon Ducks in the NCAA Division I (FBS). Black Hills State University, Linfield College and Western Oregon University also competed for Vidačković's services with scholarship offers, but he chose the Oregon Ducks and played for them until 2023.

With Marko Vidačković, the Stuttgart Surge have brought back a young and at the same time very experienced football player. The 1.86 meter, 88 kilogram heavy athlete said: "Extremely excited to return home to Stuttgart!  It’s time to finish the mission the Surge started last year and bring a Championship back to the City of Stuttgart!"