If Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt were asked to draw up a prototype for what his ideal defensive end should look like, he'd probably put down the pen and paper and instead open Pitt's media guide to the page where redshirt sophomore Greg Romeus is pictured.

That's not to say that Romeus is the perfect defensive end, but, in terms of his physical skills -- as well as his team-first attitude and willingness to learn -- he is close.

Romeus stands 6 feet 5, weighs 265 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in about 4.6 seconds. He is an exceptional athlete -- he was a basketball star in high school and earned Division I scholarship offers in football despite playing only one season -- with long arms, quick feet and exceptional strength for his size.

He is the kind of player around which Wannstedt always has built his defensive lines. This year, Romeus' first as a starter, he is going to be asked to turn his tremendous potential into all-conference level performance.

And, although Romeus has had an outstanding training camp and appears ready for the challenge, Pitt defensive line coach Greg Gattuso has been careful not to put too many expectations on him because he is, after all, only in his fourth season of organized football and second season of active duty with the Panthers.

"I think what happens is people see Greg doing all of these amazing things on his talent or his physical ability and forget he's still learning," Gattuso said. "I mean, we all know what he is capable of, his God-given ability is astounding, and it is scary sometimes to watch him because guys that big aren't supposed to be able to do some of the things he can do or run as fast as he does. But he is still scratching the surface and he still has a lot to learn.

"I do expect him to be a big factor for us. But let's not put him in the College Football Hall of Fame quite yet because he hasn't accomplished anything."

While expectations for Romeus might be too high, there is no question he will wreak havoc, particularly against those that don't double-team him.

His ability to rush the passer is a major reason he is one of the Big East Conference's rising stars, but his speed and ability also allows him to chase down running backs. Thatmakes him a potential superstar.

"You see those kinds of plays, and you realize that he is something special," Gattuso said. "But, again, you have to temper it with the knowledge that he is still raw in so many ways. What I like about him is that he learns from his mistakes. You combine his physical ability with how coachable he is and, yes, the sky is the limit."

Despite his flair for the dramatic and his big-play ability on the field, Romeus is fairly quiet and humble off the field. He doesn't like the spotlight.

When it comes to talking about Pitt's defense, though, he opens up. He believes the Panthers have a chance to be one of the best in the nation. And he said any success he has likely will be a product of the dominance of the three other defensive linemen.

"I don't think about all-conference or how many sacks I am going to get or any of that stuff," Romeus said. "The thing is, if you look at our defensive line, I think offenses will have their hands full trying to deal with [us].

"I know that I can help this team win games but, in terms of our stars or whatever, we have a lot of guys on our defense a lot more worthy of that kind of recognition than me."

Although Romeus doesn't have many specific individual statistical goals, he has one goal that says a lot about what his priorities are, why he is popular with his teammates and well liked by the coaching staff.

"I guess two things I'd like to see happen this year," Romeus said when pressed. "The obvious is we win the Big East or at least get to a bowl game and, also, I'd like to play well enough to help our defense be great and that, in turn, gets the other three guys [on the defensive line] noticed and recognized for all-conference honors. If all of that happens, it will be a great season."

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NOTES -- Former Pitt coach "Foge" Fazio will join the Panthers' radio crew this year as a color analyst, it was announced yesterday. Fazio, who will join play-by-play voice Bill Hillgrove and lead color analyst Bill Fralic in the booth, also will contribute to both the pregame and postgame shows. The games again will be broadcast on WWSW-FM (94.5) and WBGG-AM (Fox Sports Radio 970).