There will be plenty of familiarity at the quarterback position when training camp kicks off for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on May 29. All four quarterbacks that saw action in 2015 for the Black and Gold are back, including Zach Collaros, Jeremiah Masoli, Jeff Mathews and Jacory Harris. Jake Waters, a rookie out of Kansas State, will also be competing for a roster spot.
Despite making excellent strides in his recovery from a torn ACL last season, Collaros won’t be 100% healthy at the start of training camp. That much we know. If he is unavailable when the 2016 CFL season begins, that raises questions about who will be under centre when the Tiger-Cats take on the Argonauts to open the campaign on June 23.
Zach Collaros is on the mend, however VP of Football Ops and Head Coach of the Ticats, Kent Austin, says he will not be available for the start of training camp. Through twelve games last season, Collaros was on pace for 5,000 passing yards before his injury. Despite missing the last six games of the season, Collaros still finished fourth in the league in total passing yards (3,376) and passing touchdowns (25). When 100% healthy, Collaros will certainly be the teams starting pivot.
Heading into training camp, one of the biggest questions that surrounds the team is who will be the starting quarterback for the June 23rd opener against Toronto if Collaros isn’t ready? Austin and new offensive coordinator, Stefan Ptaszek, appear to have plenty of options and skilled assets to evaluate prior to the season’s start.
Jeremiah Masoli signed a two-year contract extension with the Tiger-Cats in the offseason. Masoli’s only playing time during the 2015 regular season came in the final game of the year against the Redblacks. However, Masoli was given the nod as the starter entering the playoffs, where he demonstrated impressive confidence in delivering passes and extending plays with his feet. In two playoff contests, Masoli tallied 490 passing yards to go along with a 70-per-cent completion percentage, adding one touchdown.
Jeff Mathews is entering his second season in the CFL. The 2015 campaign brought significant opportunity for Matthews to gain experience in the Canadian game. He was used mainly in short yardage situations early in the season, scoring six rushing touchdowns by season’s end. The Camarillo, California native was given the starting role following the injury to Zach Collaros in Week 13. He showed an ability to adapt to the Canadian game, posting a pass completion percentage of 66.7 in five starts. Mathews would also succumb to injury, suffering a concussion in Week 17 that ended his rookie campaign with the Ticats.
Jacory Harris saw reps in three games in 2015, including his only start in the final game of the regular season against the Redblacks. Last season brought Harris his first true taste of the CFL after being in the league for two seasons prior without seeing any snaps. Harris finished the season completing 13 of 23 passes for 160 passing yards.
In addition to the four veteran quarterbacks, the Ticats signed former Kansas State Wildcat, Jake Waters. He comes to the Tiger-Cats with an impressive collegiate resume. Waters spent two seasons at Iowa Western Community College where he won a national championship and was named the 2012 NCJAA Offensive Player of the Year. He’d then go on to break numerous school passing records after joining Kansas State’s program, setting completion percentage (64.1%), pass efficiency (155.6), total offensive yards per game (260.2) and passing yards per attempt among quarterbacks with 500 or more attempts (9.09).
As part of the CFL’s QB internship program intended to develop Canadian university quarterbacks, Waterloo’s Lucas McConnell will be attending camp this year as well. The Warriors pivot will look to take as much experience away as possible during his time at the Tiger-Cats training camp before returning to Waterloo for his third season.
At this point, Austin has not given a nod to any quarterback as the clear starter, but the general consensus is that a battle will emerge between Masoli and Mathews for the opportunity to start on opening day if Collaros isn’t ready. All of the healthy quarterbacks will have a chance to compete for a role, which should make the quarterback group an interesting one to watch during this year’s training camp.
