All They Can Do Now Is Watch, Wait : Tim Carey: A lack of physical maturity is the only thing holding back former Los Alamitos standout.

Stanford quarterback Steve Stenstrom watched Tim Carey run the Cardinal’s scout squad in practice last season and remembers being there himself.

Stenstrom, who sat out in 1990 as a redshirt, was once buried on the depth chart, much like Carey is now.

Four years later, Stenstrom enters his senior season as a three-year starter and a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Carey, a former Los Alamitos High standout, enters his redshirt freshman season fourth on the depth chart behind Stenstrom, senior Mark Butterfield and sophomore Scott Frost.

“Tim’s situation was a lot like mine when I came to Stanford,” said Stenstrom, who played at El Toro High. “We each came in with another quarterback who was a little more highly touted than we were.

“He’s in the shadows right now. But I don’t think it will be that way for long.”

Carey, 6 feet 4 and 190 pounds, understands time is on his side as he prepares for his second season under Stanford Coach Bill Walsh. He knows Stenstrom and Butterfield graduate after this season, leaving him and Frost to battle for the starting job next season.

“I feel really good about my chances,” Carey said. “We have to wait and see what happens this year. I definitely want to be second-string this year and have a shot at starting next year. I think next spring is where everything is going to count as far as Scott and I are concerned.’

Carey was rated as the nation’s fourth-best high school quarterback in 1992, his senior year at Los Alamitos. He was considered one of the best pure passers to come out of high school in years when he committed to Stanford in the fall.

Trouble was, Frost, the third-best quarterback prospect in the nation, signed with the Cardinal during the late period the following spring. He had thrown for 2,142 yards and 21 touchdowns and run for 1,585 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior at tiny Wood River (Neb.) High.

Can you say “quarterback controversy?”

Walsh relieved some of the pressure last season by asking Carey to sit out. He wanted Carey, who weighed only 175 pounds, to put on weight and learn the offense. He also wanted to stagger the years of eligibility between Carey and Frost.

Carey’s situation also improved in pre-season when Frost, second on the depth chart behind Stenstrom, started working out part-time at defensive back.

How much progress did Carey make during his redshirt season? It depends on who you ask.

‘Yes, I weigh 190 pounds,” Carey said. “I concentrated on my strength in the off-season, lifted weights and got on the right diet. By my senior year, I want to be 210 pounds.”

Walsh was surprised when told Carey weighed 190.

“I think Tim expects that he won’t see a lot of action this year,” Walsh said. “His future is further out, and I think that’s evident by his physical maturity.”

“That’s his only limitation right now. He needs at least another year before he plays. You’ll remember he was so thin in high school.”

While Carey worked with the scout squad, Frost, 6-3 and 210 pounds, passed Butterfield on the depth chart and became Stenstrom’s backup.

Frost is considered the strongest and most athletic of the three backup quarterbacks and has shown a knack for running the ball. He played in nine games, completing two of nine passes but running 15 times for 53 yards.

“I think Tim is still a fine prospect here,” Walsh said. “He’ll inherit Steve’s job at some point. Scott didn’t redshirt last year and Tim did, so Tim has that senior year, at the least, to start.”

Carey worked out with Stenstrom this summer at The Clinic, a college and pro athlete training camp in Del Mar. Carey spent seven weeks at the clinic, then returned to Orange County to work out with his longtime training coach, Jim Walsh.

“Tim is doing a great job,” Stenstrom said. “He is going to be a great quarterback. He’s one of the best pure passers I have seen.”

Tim Carey

Stanford

Hgt.: 6-4 Wgt.: 190

Year: Redshirt freshman

College career statistics: Ran Stanford’s scout squad during redshirt year.

High school highlights: Carey led Los Alamitos to the Southern Section finals as a junior and senior, with the Griffins winning the title in 1991 and tying Esperanza in 1992. Carey was named The Times’ back of the year as a senior, one of several local and national awards he received that year. In two seasons as a starter, he completed 399 of 682 passes for 5,889 yards and 56 touchdowns. He was one of the most-sought after quarterbacks in the country, receiving interest from USC, UCLA, Texas, Notre Dame, Colorado and Washington.

Miscellaneous: Stanford Coach Bill Walsh describes Carey as one of the best “touch passers” he has seen, comparing him to former Raider and Brigham Young standout Marc Wilson. . . . Carey’s uncle, Dennis Fitzpatrick, was a member of Cal’s 1959 NCAA championship basketball team. . . . Carey also is the great nephew of actor Dick Van Dyke.