Hamilton Tiger-Cats name Harrison Frost starting quarterback against B.C. Lions in Week 10

Photo: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography / 3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have officially named Harrison Frost as their starting quarterback in Week 10.

“I would say it was probably a clear-cut decision,” head coach Scott Milanovich told reporters on Thursday. “Things may have been different (in terms of him starting sooner) had Frosty been here for training camp. Obviously, we only got him a couple weeks ago. He does know the system because he’s been here for whatever it is, two and a half years, but it was just too soon to throw him out there prior to this week, in my opinion, and ask him to be able to play well.”

Frost took over late in the second half of Hamilton’s loss to the Calgary Stampeders last week, after Milanovich elected to bench Canadian pivot Tre Ford. He completed nine-of-20 passes (45 percent) for 165 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, which was returned for a touchdown. He also ran twice for 13 yards and fumbled once.

The 27-year-old was signed by the Ticats on July 15 as an insurance policy following the potentially season-ending injury to starter Bo Levi Mitchell. He previously spent two seasons in Hamilton, but saw limited action in 17 games as backup, throwing for 95 yards and one touchdown.

“He’s very accurate, always has been,” Milanovich said of his new starter. “We liked him on film coming out of college; he’s got enough arm to push it down the field. What was unfortunate for him last year in training camp, he was to be in a battle with Taylor (Powell) for the backup spot. Taylor had the edge, and then he got hurt and missed like two and a half weeks of training camp, so he didn’t really have an opportunity to try to move up that one spot and get a chance to play.”

Frost was released this offseason to pursue an opportunity with the UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks. He went 2-1 as a starter, completing 53.3 percent of his passes for 719 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions, before returning to Canada.

The Kennesaw, Ga., native played his last two collegiate seasons at the University of West Georgia, where he threw for 6,730 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions over 22 games. The six-foot-one, 194-pound passer previously attended Mercer University.

“He was a coach before he got him. He was a GA (graduate assistant) at the University of Virginia when we brought him up here,” Milanovich noted. “He thinks. He likes the X’s and O’s, likes the mental part of the game. He’s had a good week.”

Frost will be the fourth quarterback to start a game for Hamilton this season, joining Mitchell, Ford, and current third-stringer Jake Dolegala on that list. It is his first career CFL start.

Ford’s time as the starter end concludes after he completed 40-of-60 passes (66.6 percent) for 440 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, adding 17 carries for 185 yards on the ground. The former Hec Crighton Trophy winner went 1-2 through three starts, bringing his career win-loss record to 11-15.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-5) will visit the B.C. Lions (2-5) on Saturday, August 8, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Lions beat Winnipeg 35-19 at Princess Auto Stadium last week, while the Ticats lost 44-20 at home to the Calgary Stampeders.

The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 730 CKNW (English) or Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600 (Punjabi) in Vancouver or the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton.