HAMILTON — Zach Collaros has ‘a really good feeling’ he’ll be under centre the first game of the season, the Ticats’ starting quarterback said in an interview with TSN.

It’s been four months since the 27-year-old underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL, and four months ahead of the start of the regular season Collaros told TSN‘s Matthew Scianitti he fully plans to take part in training camp and start the regular season at quarterback for the Ticats.

The Ticats open their season June 23 in Toronto, where they’ll be the first ever visiting team at BMO Field — the new home of the Argos.

4 months after ACL surgery, Collaros feels stronger.Not running yet&unsure he’ll take part in OTAs, but confident he’ll be ready for TC #CFL — Matthew Scianitti (@TSNScianitti) February 25, 2016

“I feel great,” Collaros told Scianitti on Thursday in Hamilton. “I have the full range of motion, we’re strengthening it every day – right now we’re trying to get my quad the same size as the other quad.

“It’s just been great and I feel great. I can’t wait for the start of the season and I have a really good feeling that I’m gonna be ready to go.”

The full interview can be seen on TSN.ca, where Collaros also talks about his team’s off-season moves, including the addition of a former teammate in Chad Owens.

While Ottawa’s Henry Burris wound up winning Most Outstanding Player (MOP) for his impressive performance at age 40 last season, Collaros was every bit impressive in just over a half-season’s work. The Steubenville, Ohio native racked up 3,376 passing yards (281.3 yards per game) in 12 starts to go with 25 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 113.1 quarterback rating, the best in the CFL.

He was the centre of all MOP attention after a career-best 400 passing yards and four touchdowns in a Labour Day blowout win over the Argos, but two starts later he suffered a season-ending injury in an eventual home loss to the Edmonton Eskimos. Jeff Mathews, Jacory Harris and Jeremiah Masoli teamed up to replace Collaros, but the Ticats wound up falling in dramatic fashion to the REDBLACKS in the Eastern Final.

“I feel great. I can’t wait for the start of the season and I have a really good feeling that I’m gonna be ready to go.”

Collaros was non-committal when it comes to the Ticats’ usual spring mini-camp, while his approach to fully returning to action remains one week at a time. But so far, he added, the results of his rehab have been all positive.

“There are always milestones you hit with the ACL rehab, so when that time comes I’ll have a better idea and I’ll be able to give you a better idea,” he said. “The mini-camp I’m not sure about but I’d like to be ready for training camp.

“I think I’ll be able to be practising but it’s the full-go situation so we’ll see Everybody heals differently, it’s not an exact science.

“So far it’s been great and I’ll be ready to go.”

After splitting his first four CFL seasons between the Argos and Ticats, Collaros now enters his fifth CFL season and third wearing Black and Gold. He’s thrown for over 9,000 career passing yards and 55 touchdowns with just 23 interceptions.