This Quarterback Class Might Be the Best : Recruiting: Deciding whether O.C’s 1993 group is No. 1 is tough call.

It’s the 1994 football season, and Orange County football fans could see more than one familiar face leading Pacific 10 Conference teams in pursuit of a Rose Bowl berth.

At USC, former El Toro quarterback Rob Johnson will likely be in his senior season with the Trojans. Former Mater Dei quarterback Danny O’Neil will be a senior at Oregon.

Stanford could have either El Toro’s Steve Stenstrom or Los Alamitos’ Tim Carey running its pro-style offense.

Sean O’Brien of Santa Margarita might be the key to Arizona’s option-pass attack. Trabuco Hills’ Pat Barnes could be in his second season as California’s starting quarterback by then.

Two years from now, half of the Pac-10 teams could have Orange County quarterbacks as starters, including three from this year’s recruiting class.

Carey, Barnes, O’Brien and Estancia’s Matt Johner, who’s going to Kansas, head one of the finest groups of quarterbacks in county history.

But is it the county’s best class? Maybe. Maybe not.

Remember, only six seasons ago four county quarterbacks signed with Division I schools. The 1987-88 class included Capistrano Valley’s Todd Marinovich, El Toro’s Bret Johnson, Sunny Hills’ David Chisum and Woodbridge’s Fred Schweer.

Marinovich went to USC and is now with the Raiders. Johnson started at UCLA before transferring to Michigan State. Schweer went to Oregon State and later played at New Mexico, and Chisum went to New Mexico State.

Also part of that quarterback class was Laguna Beach senior Danny Layne, who went to UC Santa Barbara on a baseball scholarship, and Trabuco Hills’ John Barnes.

Barely recruited out of high school, Barnes played at Saddleback College, Western Oregon and UC Santa Barbara before earning a starting job as a walk-on at UCLA last season.

Players from both the 1987-88 and this year’s classes had great high school careers.

And former El Toro Coach Bob Johnson said it might be impossible to compare them.

“It’s hard to say,” said Johnson, who coached sons Rob and Bret at El Toro. “It’s something you could put to a vote with the other coaches. But I saw all the kids, and I would still take the 1987 group.

“But remember, I don’t have a crystal ball to see how this group will turn out. We already know what happened with the 1987 group. Todd and Bret both started as redshirt freshmen, and were awfully successful early in their careers.”

Johnson said the same could happen with this year’s class.

Pat Barnes received the maximum 10 votes in the Long Beach Press-Telegram’s Best in the West survey. Conference coaches and recruiters were asked to vote for players who would make an impact at their school by their sophomore seasons.

Carey received nine votes from the panel and O’Brien, who hadn’t committed to Arizona at the time of the survey, got four.

“This is a very good class of quarterbacks,” Johnson said. “You have to be patient with them, wait and see how they do in college. In general, I thought the county was a little down overall (in recruiting), but not with the quarterbacks. All four are legitimate Division I players, and they deserve all the attention they’re getting right now.”

Johnson watched Carey, Barnes and Johner play during the season, and he began working with O’Brien on fundamentals a few weeks ago.

“We’ve been working on everything from A to Z, both on the field and in the classroom,” Johnson said. “We’re working on his mechanics, timing, reading defenses and taking fundamental drops.

“He’s a great kid to work with, and he made a good choice in Arizona. Their offense (sprint-out passing and option) fits what he does well. He’s good at throwing on the run, and they do a lot of that at Arizona.”

He said O’Brien’s work ethic might be his biggest asset.

“A lot of kids in the situation he’s in could sit back, put their chest out and do nothing,” Johnson said. “But Sean’s out there making calls, working hard and trying to get better before he gets to Arizona. That impresses me.”

Johnson’s views on the other three quarterbacks:

Barnes: “He’s mature and competitive, and you can see it in all the sports he plays (basketball as well as football). He’s ahead of the game in that way, and it looks like he could play right away, physically. I like his athleticism, and he’s good at getting out of trouble.”

Carey: “He is in that category (with Marinovich and Bret Johnson). He threw for a lot of yards and has that All-America stature. He had a nice year at Los Alamitos, playing in a sophisticated offense that threw downfield and highlighted him. He also had some great receivers.”

Johner: “I only got to see Matt play once this season, against Laguna Hills, I think. He should do very well at Kansas.”

Kansas coaches think they got a sleeper in Johner, who reminds them a lot of their current quarterback, Chip Hilleary. Like Hilleary, Johner is small (6-1, 180 pounds) but a good scrambler.

A left-hander, he proved he was accurate and had the toughness to take a brutal hit during his three years as Estancia’s starter.

And that’s what Kansas Coach Glen Mason noticed on a highlight tape Johner sent him.

“Matt didn’t have the stats,” said Pat Johner, the player’s father. “And I asked Coach Mason why he was recruiting Matt. He told me he liked Matt’s scrappiness, and he meant it as a high compliment.”

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Class rank: This year’s recruiting class has 12 more than last year, considered one of the county’s weakest in several years.

The county usually produces between 30 and 40 college recruits a year. Johnson sent 11 El Toro players to colleges over a two-year period in the mid-1980s.

“The past two years have been down as far as teams,” Johnson said. “I don’t think it’s the case with the quarterbacks. It’s a great crop of kids.”

Recruiting notes

Laguna Beach volleyball player Erin Bratcher, an all-State and all-Pacific Coast League selection at setter, has committed to George Mason and plans to sign today. . . . Mater Dei linebacker Parker Gregg has committed to Pennsylvania. He also was considering Army, Navy and Colorado State.

Vintage Years for Quarterbacks

Class of 1993

Name High School Moving on to: Pat Barnes Trabuco Hills California Tim Carey Los Alamitos Stanford Matt Johner Estancia Kansas Sean O’Brien Santa Margarita Arizona

Class of 1988

Name High School Went on to: John Barnes Trabuco Hills Saddleback, Western Oregon, UC Santa Barbara, UCLA David Chisum Sunny Hills New Mexico State Bret Johnson El Toro UCLA, Michigan State Todd Marinovich Capistrano Valley USC, Raiders Fred Schweer Woodbridge Oregon State, New Mexico

Note: Among other quarterbacks who played in the 1987 season were Mission Viejo junior Troy Kopp (Pacific), Fountain Valley junior Dave Henigan (Pacific) and Los Alamitos sophomore Todd Gragnano (Nebraska/Louisville), and Laguna Beach senior Danny Layne, who went to UC Santa Barbara on a baseball scholarship.