Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach Kent Austin said while Zach Collaros is continuing with his off-season rehab program, the athletic quarterback won't be ready to play when Hamilton opens its season June 23 visiting the Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field.

"Zach has the DNA to follow instructions but also push the envelope as much as he needs to (in order) to be prepared without overdoing it," Austin said in a season preview conference call Wednesday. "The prospects for him, going forward are excellent.

"He will not be able to participate in training camp, he'll be going through his normal rehabilitation protocol. So, if you mean is he going to be ready to start the season coming out of training camp, the answer is no."

That means backups Jeff Mathews and Jeremiah Masoli will battle for the starter's job in training camp.

Hamilton seemed poised to contend for a third straight Grey Cup appearance last year, posting an 8-3 record before Collaros's brilliant season ended bitterly in the Ticats' 25-18 home loss in September to the Edmonton Eskimos. Collaros suffered a season-ending tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Collaros was the overwhelming favourite for the CFL's outstanding player award. He was leading the league in passing yards (3,376), touchdowns (25) and passer rating (113.7) with an impressive 70.2 completion percentage at the time of his injury.

Mathews, Masoli, and youngster Jacory Harris all started in Collaros’s absence as Hamilton (10-8) finished second in the East. Masoli made his first career post-season start in the East semifinal, leading the Ticats past Toronto 25-22. He then threw for 349 yards in a wild 35-28 loss to Ottawa in the division final.

Notes:  According to TSN's Gary Lawless, Stef Ptaszek is leaving his role as head coach at McMaster University to take over as the Ticats' offensive coordinator. Ptaszek had been with the Marauders since 2006. His led McMaster to a 6-2 record last season, but the team was upset in the first round of the playoffs by Laurier. Under Ptaszek, the Marauders reached back-to-back Vanier Cups in 2011 and 2012. The team won the championship in 2011, but was defeated in their attempt to repeat in 2012.