Declaring himself fully healed mentally and physically, former Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan is preparing to compete for a starting job with the Hartford Colonials.

Brennan recently signed with the Colonials, a member of the United Football League. Hartford opens training in mid-July.

Brennan faces competition from Josh McCown, who started eight games for the Colonials in 2010, and Jerrod Johnson, Hartford’s No. 1 draft choice last month. McCown played in 47 NFL games, starting 31 of them, during an eight-year career with the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders and Carolina Panthers. Johnson, who played at Texas A&M, was not selected in the 2011 NFL Draft.

"Anytime you’re going to play football, there’s always going to be competition, no matter what year, no matter where you are," Brennan said. "I’m excited for the competition. I’m looking forward to getting out there and playing football. That’s my only focus right now. It’s time to get ready for football, and football only."

Brennan has not played in a meaningful game since the 2008 Sugar Bowl, his last appearance as a Warrior. He was with the Washington Redskins for two years, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes in exhibition games, but he never appeared in a regular-season game. He had four surgeries — on each hip and each knee — before being cut by the Redskins. He was among the Raiders’ final cuts last summer.

Brennan said he has recovered from injuries to his head, clavicle and ribs suffered in an accident on the Big Island involving an SUV driven by Shakti Stream (in which he was a passenger) and a car driven by Dr. Teresa Wang. Brennan clarified his relationship with Stream, saying: "Shakti is not an ex-girlfriend. I love her and will always love her. I may not be with her right now, but we’ll always be part of each other’s lives."

Brennan said he works out in Arizona and Southern California. One of his trainers counts New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez as a client. Both have worked out at the same time recently. Brennan also was at Saddleback College when Sanchez was a senior at nearby Mission Viejo High.

"He used to come to the games," Brennan said. "We also have the same quarterback coach in Bob Johnson. We got to know each other over time. I’ve had a chance to see him over the years."

Brennan recently was part of a goodwill/medical mission to American Samoa. He was an instructor at football clinics.

"I was blown away by the culture and the people," he said. "You get to Hawaii, where there’s a rich tradition and culture, and it’s magnified down there (in American Samoa) because there’s not much diversity down there. It’s all Samoan people. It was a fun experience, a life-changing experience."

Brennan said he studied Samoan at UH.

"That was one of the things when I got down there that was very beneficial to me," he said. "I took three years of Samoan. People down there had some respect for that. It was a really fun experience, and I got to upgrade my vocabulary in Samoan."