MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Sophomore left guard Tomas Rimac has five collegiate starts under his belt, but he still the most inexperienced player on the starting WVU offensive line.

Though he is relatively raw, Rimac will also be the first to say that his contributions go back farther than his first start last season against TCU.

“Even going into my freshman season I knew I was contributing to the team as a scout team o-lineman knowing I was helping the defense get better,” he said. “And as a scout team player, I was getting better as I went against the one’s everyday.”

It’s not like he was thrown into the action with no preparation, though. He saw action in nine previous games, and was included as a rotational lineman through the first half of the 2022 season.

So not much changed when he received the nod to make his first start. If anything, he took it upon himself to be “studying that much harder [and] practicing that much harder” to match the production of his all-conference position-mates.

After all, the other four linemen were newcomers at some point.

He ended up finishing the last five games of the season as a starter, earning First-Team All-Freshman honors from The Athletic in the process. He snowballed that performance into a starting spot in the spring, which no holds true in fall camp.

“I’m more confident,” he said. “I’m learning to use my length that I’ve been blessed with that helps me out a lot. Just controlling my body and using it to my advantage.”

The WVU offensive line receives weekly praise from teammates and coaches alike. Offensive line coach Matt Moore cited the heavy dose of West Virginia-based players helps fuel the position group’s unique chemistry.

In addition to the line of scrimmage, Rimac’s house is a home base of sorts for the big men up front. Rimac, redshirt sophomore Bryce Biggs and junior Wyatt Milum are known to host the linemen over for cookouts and bonding experiences.

“Chemistry is a very big important part of it,” Rimac said. “And I just feel that as a whole group we’re, like, unbreakable, and just learning together [and] doing everything as one.”

How many burgers are eaten in the process?

“A lot.”