Guest Writer: Aaron Palmer
8 years ago, former University of Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros was just a redshirt freshman on a depth chart with a few names bearcat fans should be familiar with. These names are Dustin Grutza, Ben Mauk, and last but certainly not least, Tony Pike. Being on the bench was new for Collaros, who posted an absolutely ridiculous record of 41-1 in three years as starting quarterback at Ohio’s Steubenville High School. Now, if one was to fast forward back to 2015, they’d see that Collaros is in a better spot than all of his aforementioned predecessors.
Collaros, who had no plans on becoming friends with the bench, saw his first action as a redshirt sophomore. This was mostly in relief of Tony Pike, but even in a reserve role, he blossomed, setting UC single-season records with a completion percentage of .750 and passing efficiency of 195.53. This gave him momentum as he was named the starter in 2010, where he burst onto to the scene with 2902 yards passing and 24 touchdown passes. Collaros was named 1st-Team All-Big East for this effort.
After a drop off in his senior season, Collaros went unchosen in the 2012 NFL draft. After a brief stint as a free agent in Tampa, Zach opted to take his talents north of the border. The Toronto Argonauts brought him on and in his 2nd season, he played like a man possessed in relief of Ricky Ray. This effort elevated Collaros from a backup to a highly coveted free agent. The former Cincinnati Bearcat then signed on to play quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger Cats.
The Ti-Cats anticipated that Zach Collaros would be their quarterback of the future, but not many could have predicted what happened next. Hamilton found themselves in the 102nd Grey Cup final behind his arm, as he started fifteen games for them in 2015. Hamilton may have lost in the final, but Collaros individually is being recognized as one of the top signal-callers in Canada. Rightfully so, seeing how he completed 65.8% of his throws for 3261 yards and 17 total touchdowns in his first season with a new team. You get the feeling that he has nowhere to go but up.
