Canes Scouting Report: OL Frankie Tinilau
Unlike some other Miami commitments like cornerback Cormani McClain, offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa, and quarterback Emory Williams, not that many people have seen and/or know much about Frankie Tinilau.
He made his selection to play for the Hurricanes back on April 11, 2022. Since then, the former Australian has been working his craft and getting better. At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, he will likely start his Miami career by playing along the interior, but do not discount him eventually being an offensive tackle. Here’s an overview of his skills.
Playing for Miami (Fla.) La Salle, Tinilau has an aggressive nature to his style of play. With his big-bodied frame, he already shows the ability to move defenders 10-plus yards down the field. Beyond the big body, he does possess a good first step to gain an edge on the player in front of him.
Once out in space during an outside run or screen, Tinilau is also adept at blocking much smaller moving targets. Many offensive lineman struggle with this category. When it is time to mash, that’s also a quality Tinilau provides.
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In a short-space area, he’s adept at drive blocking. In fact, despite playing tackle for La Salle, he carries himself much like an interior offensive lineman. He relishes in the physicality of the sport.
Last point regarding Tinilau’s positives would be his ability to work in tandem with another offensive lineman. It’s called duo, meaning moving a defensive lineman with two players, then one of the two offensive linemen comes off and goes to the linebacker level for a block. He’s already showing traits that will lead to that working out well. He does also need a lot of work to play at the major FBS level.
Miami was smart to get involved with this young man early on. That's been a consistent trademark for head coach Mario Cristobal and his staff. Oregon was one of several schools that inquired about Tinilau, especially after his pledge to Miami.
With Tinilau, Miami has gained another piece to the offensive line puzzle.
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