Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt didn't need to see many videos of redshirt freshman defensive end Greg Romeus before he was ready to offer him a scholarship. That's a good thing because there just wasn't that much video of him playing football.

Romeus was a basketball star in high school in Coral Springs, Fla. Hedidn't play football until his senior year when his coach convinced him he could be a star. And it didn't take long for Romeus to attract a few Division I offers because coaches saw his athleticism and believed he had potential.

Now, less than three years from the first time he put on pads, Romeus is starting to show flashes of that potential. He is becoming a difference maker for a defense that is desperately searching for players with big-play ability.

Yet Wannstedt said he is not surprised that Romeus is becoming such a high-impact player so quickly because of all the things he's able to do with just his natural ability.

"I saw about three plays on film and that's all I needed to see," Wannstedt said. "Then I heard he was a good basketball player and that was good enough for me. Sometimes you have talented guys and if they are smart, they are hard workers, then you have to take a chance on them and that's what we did with him.

"I think you have to find five or six guys in each recruiting class to be difference makers and we think he will become one."

It may sound strange that Pitt's decision to offer Romeus a scholarship had to do with his basketball ability, but Wannstedt said that's not uncommon. Any lineman who has good enough feet and is quick enough to play basketball is likely a good athlete and potentially a dominant football player.

Wannstedt then told the story of when he was the defensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys and the team found a diamond in the rough in Leon Lett from tiny Emporia State University. Lett didn't have much film, but former Cowboys assistant Butch Davis saw him dunking basketballs in a pickup game and that convinced the staff that he had the potential to become a standout. Lett became a two-time Pro Bowler and a member of three Super Bowl winning teams in Dallas.

Wannstedt said Romeus is similar to Lett in that he was drafted for his potential.

And as Romeus has learned and gained more experience, he has become harder for coaches to keep off the field. That's why he has seen his playing time increase almost weekly and is now playing as many snaps as starters seniors Chris McKillop and Joe Clermond.

Romeus doesn't have the experience of either of those two, but he has been able to be just as productive when he has been in the games because he is such a good athlete. Romeus, who is 6 feet 5 inches and 250 pounds, has 23 tackles and a team-leading seven for losses, including a sack. He also has broken up two passes.

Saturday, in the Panthers' 24-17 win against Cincinnati, Romeus made two key plays on third down, once stopping quarterback Ben Mauk on a sneak and knocking down a pass. The tackle of Mauk was one that Romeus is probably the only defensive lineman on the team athletic enough to make. Had he not made it, Mauk would have run at least for a first down and maybe a lot farther.

Pitt defensive line coach Greg Gattuso can understand why so many people are so excited about a player with Romeus' talent but said Romeus still has much to learn and that it would be premature to throw him into a starting role.

He said Romeus is capable of making big plays at this point but is still learning to make the routine plays, which isn't that much different from any freshman on the team.

"He is an exciting young player, there is no doubt about that," Gattuso said. "Last week in practice, he knocked two of our offensive linemen on their backs, and it is still surprising to him that he has that kind of power. He has a lot of talent and he is learning to use it. He is playing well but there are little mistakes he is still making that he needs to work on.

"He presents a lot of different problems for teams out there and every week he gets better. He is no different than a Pat Bostick or a LeSean McCoy because every week brings a new experience to him and he just keeps getting better. I'm excited about his future."

NOTES -- Wannstedt said he will likely be in the press box again Saturday when the Panthers play at Louisville because he is still recovering from surgery on his left Achilles' tendon. ... John Bachman will start at right guard for injured sophomore Joe Thomas (hamstring). Thomas has missed practice this week.