The Virginia Tech football team is a work in progress along the offensive line this year under first-year coach Matt Moore. The former West Virginia coach has had to build the line from scratch with returning players and players through the Transfer Portal.
One of the returning players for the Hokies was Johnny Garrett at left tackle, and truth be told, if there was a player whom they could not afford to lose, it's Garrett. The worst-case nightmare came to reality late in the first half against Vanderbilt on Saturday night at Lane Stadium in the Hokies' home opener.
Virginia Tech loses left tackle Johnny Garrett against Vanderbilt late in the first half
Leading 17-10 late in the first half and the Hokies driving, Garrett went down with a leg injury and was down on the field for a few minutes before getting up and limping off. He went back to the locker room, and when Virginia Tech's offense took the field for their first drive of the second half, he wasn't out there.
He was on the bench without his helmet, and that meant that freshman Aidan Lynch got his first snaps in Blacksburg. He was put at right tackle by the Virginia Tech coaching staff with Tomas Rimac shifting to left tackle in place a Garrett.
This is a big blow to a position for Virginia Tech that is very thin and still very much a work in progress. It's tough to get thrown into the fire like Lynch against an SEC school in Vanderbilt, but again, this is a work in progress, and he needs to learn on the fly.