Miami OL Commit Frankie Tinilau Talks Bond With Mario Cristobal, Alex Mirabal
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There’s been an influx of top players coming from overseas to play high school football in recent years. The Miami Hurricanes commitment list includes Frankie Tinilau, a native of Australia who is now playing for Miami (Fla.) La Salle.
Tinilau was an early commitment for Miami, pledging to the Canes before many programs knew about him. The 6-foot-6, 307-pound offensive tackle is fairly new to football. There wasn’t much film to evaluate, but that did not stop Miami from offering Tinilau early, which caused other programs to take notice thereafter.
Besides Miami, offers came to Tinilau from Oregon, Arizona State, Hawaii, BYU, Florida, and Maryland among others.
As for Tinilau’s commitment to Miami, he made the decision based on relationships and the overall coaching he’s expecting to receive at The U.
“I’ve been following Mario since he was at Oregon," Tinilau told All Hurricanes. Coming out to Miami to play high school [football], and seeing the Oregon staff come out here. Seeing the things they did, once they offered, it seemed like the place to be.
“Obviously, an offensive line coach like [Alex] Mirabal, it doesn’t get better than that. The numbers don’t lie. So, he definitely helped out with the recruiting.”
Tinilau really likes Mirabal, and he’s also a fan of head coach Mario Cristobal.
“Oh, he just feels like an uncle, man. It really is just about family," Tinilau said. "You know, when it comes to football, he definitely has that coaching vibe. You know, off the field, he feels like family.”
As for Mirabal’s personality, Tinilau gave his personal take on their relationship, and he believes it is similar to Cristobal.
“Honestly, just being around him gives me positive vibes because of his energy," Tinilau laughed. "Great guy, [I] see him as my second uncle.”
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