Tomas Rimac Ranks As A Top IOL In The Country According to Lindy's College Football Preview

Sep 30, 2023; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers offensive lineman Tomas Rimac (55) on the line of scrimmage in the second quarter against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Virginia Tech has undergone a massive overhaul on the offensive line this offseason and one of the biggest additions they made was getting former West Virginia IOL Tomas Rimac to follow his old offensive line coach to Blacksburg. Rimac made the move along with Matt Moore and he is going to be counted on to fill in for former standouts Braelin Moore and Xavier Chaplin.

Summertime is the time for college football preview magazines and one of the most prominent in the country is Lindy's Sports. It is a must-read for every college football fan in the offseason, from the team previews to positional rankings, it is full of information for the upcoming season. When ranking the top guards in the country, Lindy's ranked Rimac at No. , behind Ar'maj Reed-Adams (Texas A&M), Cayden Green (Missouri), Olaivavega Ioane (Penn State), Emmanuel Pregnon (Oregon), Keylan Rutledge (Georgia Tech), Jaeden Roberts (Alabama), and Billy Schrauth (Notre Dame).

Brent Pry and the newly hired Moore needed to find someone who could be an instant impact starter and they have that in Rimac. According to Pro Football Focus, Rimac played 937 total snaps at left guard this past season and finished with a 77.1 overall offensive grade, including a very good 86.3 run-blocking grade. He finished with a 63.4 grade in 690 snaps in 2023 and a 68.9 grade in 440 snaps in 2022. He should be a plug-and-play starter for an offensive that is returning quarterback Kyron Drones and landed Bowling Green running back Terion Stewart in the portal. While the loss of Bhayshul Tuten will be felt, Stewart, Drones, and Rimac provide the blueprint for a strong running game.

Stewart (5'9 220 LBS) was a four-year player at Bowling Green and was an All-Mac selection this past season. In four years with the Falcons, he ran for 2,359 yards and 23 touchdowns, while averaging six yards per carry. He is a tough physical running back who will fit in the Hokies system well. At Pro Football Focus, Stewart finished the 2024 season with a 78.9 offensive grade in 244 snaps, third highest on the Bowling Green offense. In 2023, PFF gave him an elite 95.3 grade on offense, including a 94.0 grade when it came to running the football. Stewart could be the bell cow running back for the Hokies next year, fitting right in next to quarterback Kyron Drones.

Rimac is not just an interior offensive lineman though. He has the ability to kick out to tackle as well and with so many new parts and reshuffling up front for Virginia Tech, you could see Pry and Moore opt to kick him out there to see if he can help shore up other areas of need.

There are a lot of uncertain parts about this Virginia Tech heading into 2025, but they got a stud in the offseason with Rimac and he is being recognized by one of the largest publishers.