Initially, O’Laughlin Sneaked Up on Northridge Opponents : College football: Now he’s getting All-American consideration.

No sneaking up on anybody this time.

Cal State Northridge quarterback J.J. O’Laughlin appeared on the horizon less than a year ago, a gunslinger riding into a new town to prove he had the quickest draw. Didn’t take long for him to make his point.

O’Laughlin, who transferred to Northridge from the University of Illinois one game into the Matadors’ season, started playing the following week and picked up the offense on the fly.

Fly could be the operative word this season. Behind O’Laughlin, named a preseason NCAA Division I-AA All-American by College Football Preview magazine, the Matadors possess one of the promising arms in the four-team American West Conference.

Last year, latecomer O’Laughlin wasn’t even mentioned in the media guide. This year, he’s on the cover.

“If he’s healthy, he’s the premier quarterback in the league,” Northridge Coach Bob Burt said.

The Matadors, who welcomed 35 freshmen and transfers for orientation Sunday, begin two-a-day practices without pads today. The first practice in pads will be held Saturday.

The Matadors finished 4-6 in 1993 and tied for fourth in the AWC at 1-3. The opener is Sept. 10 at Boise State, another I-AA school.

O’Laughlin passed for 1,181 yards and nine touchdowns over parts of seven games before suffering a dislocated right shoulder and a rotator cuff injury Oct. 30 against Cal State Chico.

He underwent surgery to repair the rotator cuff Dec. 14 and wasn’t given full medical clearance until July 1.

First order of business today is to gauge the arm strength of the 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior.

“He says it feels pretty good--and he’s pretty reliable,” said Burt, whose teams are 46-39 in his eight seasons. “When he said it hurt, it hurt. If he says it’s OK, it’s probably OK. . . .”

Nonetheless, Burt will limit the amount of preseason throwing by O’Laughlin as a precautionary measure until the quarterback gets up to speed.

AWC coaches, in a preseason poll, picked Southern Utah to win the conference title. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was selected to finish second, followed by Cal State Sacramento and Northridge. Southern Utah was co-champion with UC Davis last year in the conference’s inaugural season.

UC Davis is no longer in the conference.