Johnson Commits to USC : Football: El Toro High School quarterback says he’ll play for Trojans and is expected to sign in February.

El Toro quarterback Rob Johnson, The Times’ Orange County high school football back of the year, has orally committed to attend USC and is expected to sign a national letter of intent with the Trojans on Feb. 6.

Johnson, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound senior, was the top-rated quarterback in the county, passing for 2,207 yards and 25 touchdowns while completing 71% of his pass attempts in 10 regular-season games.

An all-county wide receiver as a junior, Johnson became the first player in 32 years to make the team at different positions. But his versatility isn’t limited to football. He was the Orange County athlete of the year for 1989-90 after earning all-league honors in football, baseball and basketball. Johnson, a right-hander, pitched in the Southern Section 3-A championship baseball game at Anaheim Stadium as a freshman.

Johnson said he will play football and baseball at USC. He visited Penn State and Notre Dame and canceled trips to Iowa and Brigham Young. He will visit USC on Jan. 11-12.

“I was recruited by some great schools, but the situation at USC was the best for me,” Johnson said. “I like the (football) coaching staff, the quarterback situation, their offense is similar to El Toro’s, and the baseball facilities are great.”

Todd Marinovich could return for his junior season as USC’s quarterback, but there has been speculation he will be available for the NFL draft in the spring. Also expected to return at quarterback is redshirt freshman Reggie Perry.

“I talked with the coaches about the possibility of Todd turning pro, but his future never played a part in my decision,” Johnson said. “I plan to come in and compete for the job. Todd is the No. 1 quarterback. The plan at this time is to redshirt my freshman year.”

Johnson’s older brother, Bret, and Marinovich played for rival schools at El Toro and Capistrano Valley in 1986-87 and were two of the most highly publicized and recruited quarterbacks in county history.

Bret played two seasons at UCLA before transferring to Michigan State, where he will be eligible next season. USC will play Michigan State in the John Hancock Bowl on Monday, and Rob was asked which team he’ll be rooting for.

“I’m for the Trojans all the way,” he said.

And the possibility of a showdown with Bret in a future Rose Bowl game?

“That would sure give the reporters something to write about.”

As for baseball, Johnson said he spoke with USC Coach Jim Gillespie during a camp in Lodi last summer and figured he had a good opportunity to pitch as a freshman. Johnson’s fastball has been clocked at 86 m.p.h.

“I’m going to USC on a football scholarship, and I’ll play baseball in the spring,” he said. “If I’m contributing to the baseball team, I’ll remain with the team like Rodney Peete did. If I’m not contributing, I’ll move on to spring football.”

Johnson, who has a 3.4 grade-point average at El Toro, said he is undecided about his major.

Johnson is the second high school quarterback to commit to USC. Last week, Kyle Wachholtz, a 6-5, 200-pound senior from Norco High School, committed to the Trojans.

Johnson is the second county player to orally commit to USC, joining Los Alamitos receiver Tyler Cashman. Other players who have committed early include running back Jeff Grenier of Fullerton (Colorado State) and offensive lineman Karl Schroller of Fountain Valley (UCLA).