After a disappointing 6-7 season a year ago, Virginia Tech football has lost a lot of talent from its roster, both to the NFL and the transfer portal. The Hokies had five players drafted (second most in the ACC after Miami) and some of the best players in this transfer portal window came from Virginia Tech. Not only that, but head coach Brent Pry has had to replace both coordinators this offseason. Pry needs to have some success this season, but has he done enough this offseason?
When ranking each ACC team’s offseason, ESPN ranked the Hokies 10th in the conference, only above NC State, North Carolina, Boston College, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Cal, and Stanford.
1. OL Tomas Rimac
Arguably the biggest addition on the offensive line was former Mountaineer Tomas Rimac. He was a Christmas gift for the Hokies, commiting on December 26th. He’s a former All-Big 12 guard who started 28 career games for Matt Moore’s offensive line at West Virginia.
Impressively, Rimac was the highest graded offensive guard in the Big 12 last season.
With his impressive stature at 6-foot-6, the Hokies’ first offensive line commitment, he will come into the Virginia Tech offense, and possibly be one of the best players on the Hokies’ offensive side of the ball in general. Even though there’s not much stake to be held in EA Sports College Football 25 ratings, there’s a world where Rimac becomes the highest-rated player on the Hokies’ offensive side, possibly behind Bowling Green transfer running back Terion Stewart.
Rimac will likely start alongside center Kyle Altuner and tackle Lucas Austin, the other West Virginia offensive line transfers.
Coming out of high school, Austin was a three-star prospect, rated as the No. 40 tackle in the 2024 class and the No. 12 ranked player in the state of Illinois according to 247Sports.
2. RB Terion Stewart
Stewart (5’9 220 LBS) was a four-year player at Bowling Green and 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.
3. Edge James Djonkam
Djonkam is one of the most interesting players for the Hokies this season. He is a hybrid type of player who could provide an instant pass rush to the Hokies, who had one of the best in the ACC last season. The coaches have praised Djonkam for his leadership and versatility since he has arrived and he should fit in this season for a team that needs guys to step up up-front.
