THE PLAYMAKER : Aztecs: His decision to sit out a season has allowed wide receiver Robert Claiborne a chance to stand tall in the San Diego State offense.

It took some convincing for San Diego State wide receiver Robert Claiborne to accept the deal:

He would spend a year on the sidelines for a year in the spotlight.

Instead of playing for the Aztecs in 1988 and adding to an already large group of receivers, Claiborne would red-shirt. He would work with the scout team and save his senior season for 1989.

But as soon as Claiborne had fulfilled his half of the agreement, things changed. Denny Stolz, the coach Claiborne trusted to follow through on the arrangement, was fired and replaced by Al Luginbill. The deal was null and void. Claiborne feared the worst.

“I was in shock initially,” Claiborne said. “First, I had to red-shirt. I thought, ‘What now? What could possibly go bad now?’ I figured it couldn’t get any worse.”

In those uncertain moments, Claiborne had reason to wonder about the future. But he worries no longer--not after his first five games under Luginbill.

Claiborne, a 5-foot-10 senior from Mount Miguel High School, is second on the team in receptions with 30 for 509 yards (17.0 yards per catch), and his three touchdown catches lead the Aztecs. In his past three games, Claiborne has 22 catches for 398 yards.

His speed has made him SDSU’s best deep threat, but that is only half of what makes him so valuable.

“More important, he makes the plays,” Luginbill said. “Let’s be honest. There are guys out there with great speed who don’t make the plays.”

Now that all is going so well for Claiborne, it is easy to forget that only a few months ago he was questioning his future at SDSU. Claiborne wondered many times if he had made the right choice.

Red-shirting last year was not his idea. Claiborne had caught 26 passes for 374 yards and four touchdowns as a junior and expected to compete for a starting job as a senior. But those plans were set back when Claiborne was injured in an car accident a few weeks before the start of preseason practice.

The neck and back injuries kept him from training, and he reported to camp not in top shape. With Claiborne not at his best, and the Aztecs already strong at receiver with Alfred Jackson, Monty Gilbreath and Patrick Rowe, Stolz asked him to red-shirt.

“He said next year would be my year,” Claiborne said.

Claiborne was reluctant to accept the new role. He said he did not understand the decision and considered it a slap at his abilities.

“I was shortsighted,” Claiborne said. “I figured I was as good as the next guy. I was looking with tunnel vision and not at the full picture. Now with the success I am having, I understand what they were expecting of me. It’s too bad the old coaches aren’t here to see it.”

Claiborne said he was concerned he might get lost in the shuffle during the transition. He had seen a lot of promises made and broken in his college career. Luginbill is on his fourth coach and third college team in five years.

He wanted to play major college football from the start but said he was told by coaches that he was too small to play at that level. After a final rejection from Cal State Fullerton, Claiborne, then was 25 pounds lighter than his current 175, decided to attend a community college and enrolled at Grossmont.

He played one season there, catching 20 passes for 510 yards and four touchdowns, but said he was unhappy with his playing time and decided to transfer to Southwestern College. There he teamed with Brad Platt--who later played for the Aztecs--to catch 62 passes for a school-record 1,111 yards and seven touchdowns.

Suddenly, the receiver who was too small to play Division I-A football found himself in demand.

“Every college I could dream about was after me,” Claiborne said. “It was like heaven. It was overwhelming.”

But Claiborne said he decided to turn down offers from schools such as Illinois, Purdue, Pittsburgh and others to remain near home. There were times last year when he wondered if he made the right choice.

“I was frustrated,” Claiborne said.

This year did not start well, either. Injuries to both hamstrings slowed Claiborne during spring and preseason practice. It scared Claiborne, and he was hesitant about returning. It took strong encouragement from the coaching staff to get him back on the field.

“He is a senior, and he had nothing else to lose,” said Curtis Johnson, SDSU receivers coach. “We needed to get him out there and see what he could do.”

They learned in a hurry that Claiborne could do almost all they asked.

“I’m sure by the end of the year, Robert will end up being one of the finest wide receivers in the country,” Luginbill said. “We are very fortunate we have him around.”

Aztec Notes

San Diego State tight end Mitch Burton (lower abdominal strain) is questionable, trainer Brian Barry said. . . . This is the first week bowls are permitted to scout opponents, and the Holiday Bowl plans to send representatives to several games: Scouts will attend Penn State (4-1) at Syracuse (2-2), Indiana (3-1) at Ohio State (2-2) and will watch Texas A&M; (3-2) play host to Houston and Pittsburgh (4-0-1) play host to Navy. The Holiday Bowl is concentrating this week on teams in the east but plans to scout West Coast teams next week, director John Reid said.