If you have been on campus recently, I can assure you, you have seen or heard about the 6’5” newest senior football player, Frankie Tinilau.

 Tinilau, originally from Australia, has grown up with football. As the son of a New Zealand football legend, to simply sitting on the couch watching the game from home, Tinilau felt he just had to get out on the field and give the sport a shot. 

Previously a rugby player, Tinilau knew it was time for a change, and at the age of 14 transitioned over to the sport he knows and loves today, American football. He eventually suited up for the U-19 Queensland Sundevils (an all-star team that competes for Australia’s national championships in American football).

“I would hear stories of my dad playing in New Zealand and it just always remained in the back of my mind as something I wanted to try out, so I gave it a shot to see if I was any good,” he explained.

Tinilau came to Miami just after being named Europe’s Elite U-19 Male Athlete of the year in 2021 to continue and expand his football career, making his ILS season only his third. Although three years may not sound like very many, it was plenty of time to make a name for himself in the football community. Schools such as East Carolina, Brigham Young, FSU, UF, Arizona State, Akron, and UM, where Tinilau plans on attending next year, have shown great interest in the young football star. 

“My next step will be to graduate and continue my studies in college and play D1 football. Five years from now, I hope to be a second-year rookie in the NFL. I would also love to peruse acting and follow in the footsteps of Dwayne Johnson by having success in all those categories,” the said.

Tinilau is tackling the game like no other and is off to a great season here at ILS after a big win against Somerset South Homestead.