Austin Ransom has spent most of his career at Pitt as a special teams standout. That was fine by… Austin Ransom has spent most of his career at Pitt as a special teams standout. That was fine by him ‘mdash; he’d do anything to help the team win. But when Pitt was faced with a void at linebacker heading into the season, Ransom was afforded the opportunity to help the team win in a heightened role. Since arriving at Pitt in 2004 as a walk-on, Ransom ‘mdash; now a senior ‘mdash; has worn many hats for the football program. He’s been an asset on the scout team, preparing the starters for the week’s opponent. His hard work on the scout team led to an opportunity on special teams, where Ransom excelled and last year was named special teams captain by his teammates.’ He’s bounced around on both sides of the ball to help coaching staff even out the depth chart. Now, Ransom has found a home as Pitt’s interim starting weak side linebacker. ‘It’s been a long journey since I came here five years ago,’ said Ransom. ‘What I’m doing now is a dream that I’ve always had, and I’m glad I’ve finally fulfilled it. ‘I think that coaches noticed my hard work. I was always on scout team trying to give as much effort as I could to make the defense better. I think it finally paid off.’ Pitt’s defense garnered lofty expectations for the 2008 season after it finished last season ranked fifth nationally. The defense returned nine of 11 starters, all three at linebacker, including the nations leading tackler from a year ago, senior linebacker Scott McKillop. The linebacking corps was primed for a big year, anchoring a defense with Big East Championship aspirations. But unfortunately for Pitt, during the week leading up to its first game of the year, red-shirt junior Shane Murray suffered a knee injury in practice. But luckily, the team had a capable teammate willing to do anything to help his team win. ‘ Ransom was expected to enter this season as a safety on the depth chart. But after working out at safety during spring drills, Ransom migrated to the other side of the ball to help fill a gap at wide receiver. Although Ransom prefers defense, he was willing to do anything that made Pitt a better football team. Ransom’s stint on offense would abruptly end when Murray’s status became uncertain. Ransom was grateful to get the opportunity to jump back to the other side of the ball, both for him and for the team. ‘At the beginning of camp I was waiting to get back on the defense,’ said Ransom. ‘I knew that coming back into training camp that we needed some help at receiver. I was able to help out there, and I was waiting for an opportunity to present itself to get back on defense. I was willing to help out on any aspect that they needed me, and linebacker is just where I ended up.’ Having never played the position, Ransom was thrust into the starting lineup in the week of preparation leading up to the Pitt’s home opener against Bowling Green. It’s tough to learn any position on the fly, but in the 4-3 defense that Pitt runs, the outside linebackers have a multitude of responsibilities. ‘You can’t protect outside linebackers,’ said Pitt defensive coordinator Phil Bennett. ‘With what these guys do, they’ve got to react, to play coverage, to play perimeter. They’ll be involved in some inside-run game.’ Play in and play out, they’ve got to play their technique, they’ve got to play fundamentals, they’ve got to execute what they’re trying to get done.’ How did Ransom handle the transition? While Pitt’s 27-17 loss to Bowling Green in the first week of the season didn’t afford Pitt many positives, Ransom was a defensive star in his first-ever game at linebacker. ‘ On Pitt’s first defensive series of the year, Ransom intercepted a pass that would lead to Pitt’s first score. ‘All those years playing receiver all led up to that one catch,’ joked Ransom of his offensive experience. He didn’t stop there. Ransom went on to lead the Pitt defense with eight tackles for the game. Ransom’s transition to linebacker was unexpectedly smooth ‘mdash; except to him. ‘I’d say that I’m a smart player, ‘ he said. ‘I study the game of football like it’s just another class. I met with the coaches all week, watching extra film and just going over what I was going to see out there.’ ‘Playing safety helped me out a lot getting the whole defensive aspects of the game. It really helped me out with the coverages. All the coverages are basically the same at safety and linebacker, so getting a glimpse of that during the spring really helped me out in the transition.’ Ransom’s performance against Bowling Green garnered illustrious praise from his defensive coordinator. ‘I was very proud of Austin,’ said Bennett of Ransom, who wears jersey No. 86. ‘I told him after the game [that he] played like Troy Polamalu in Hines Ward’s jersey. I thought he played very well.’ Head Coach Dave Wannstedt echoed Bennett’s sentiments and spoke to Ransom’s ability to step in and fill a hole on the Panthers defense. ‘I think that says what type of young man he is,’ said Wannstedt. ‘When Shane got hurt, we had not been pleased where we had been at with a couple of the young linebackers, and Austin was a smart guy that we felt gave us a chance to cover guys because he can run, and he’s a little bit quicker than the other linebackers.’ Ransom’s play has opened eyes and cushioned the blow left by Murray’s indefinite absence. Through Pitt’s two games, he is second on the team in tackles, with 14. Ransom has made a strong case for playing time, even upon Murray’s impending return. But that’s not important. What is important is Ransom’s willingness to do whatever the team and the coaching staff needs of him. ‘All I really want is a winning season and to help the team out any way I can,’ said Ransom. ‘If it means being Shane’s backup for the whole year, that’s fine with me. I just want this team to have a winning season, so whatever I need to do to help contribute to that, I need to do.’ Ransom has already done more than enough for the program. His journey to Pitt’s interim starting weak-side linebacker has been long and at times unheralded, but his selfless attitude has never wavered. ‘My story is a story of perseverance and never giving up,’ he said ‘It’s hard being a walk-on at a great program like Pitt. But it just shows you with hard work and dedication. If you have your mind set on it, you can accomplish anything.’