Michigan picked up its first commitment in some time during Victor's Weekend, and it was TE Deakon Tonielli of Oswego (IL). The two sides have been familiar with each other since last fall and the Wolverines were able to close the deal on Sunday. Tonielli's commitment bumps Michigan back up to one TE in the class, after losing ex-commit Andrew Rappleyea back in April. 

 

GURU RATINGS 

Rivals: 6'5/215	ESPN: 6'5/215	247: 6'6/215	On3: 6'5/200	247 Comp
3*, 5.6, NR Ovr #44 TE, #12 IL	3*, 79, #28 MW, NR Ovr #14 TE-Y, #5 IL	4*, 90, NR Ovr #17 TE, #3 IL	4* , 90, NR Ovr #17 TE, #4 IL	3*, 0.8872, #430 Ovr #22 TE, #7 IL
3.59	3.92	4.07	4.02	3.87

Last row is Seth's conversion to five-star scales. Links are to profiles

Here is how Seth characterized the rankings in the commitment post on Sunday: "Tonielli is ranked a 4-star to two sites, and close to it on ESPN, but Rivals is lagging behind. That might mean they haven't gotten around to whatever film Michigan found". It would seem to me that once Rivals stops being lazy and updates their ranking, Tonielli will move to a 4-star in the composite. He's listed as 6'5" or 6'6", which seems accurate given the photos of him standing next to Grant Newsome, who is 6'6" himself. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: Big jumpy hooper?]

 

SCOUTING

The first thing you learn about Deakon Tonielli when looking at his scouting reports is how he is currently being used: to catch footballs. In HS at Oswego, Tonielli is a catch-first TE whose height and athleticism has made him a coverage mismatch that his coaches can't help but take advantage of. Here's Rivals' Zach Libby ($): 

At Oswego High, the athleticism and length on Tonielli has allowed him to line up mostly as a slot or even outside. That's where a majority of his big-time plays are shown on film. At 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, Tonielli is a three-sport star in football, basketball, and track. The basketball experience has had a large effect on Tonielli's vertical leap when grabbing for deep balls and precise footwork that enhances his ability to make sharp cuts and maintain balance on passing routes

The basketball career explains why Tonielli hasn't been used much as a blocker. It's hard to play basketball at a blocking TE-level weight unless you are freakishly athletic. To sustain the physical rigors of running up and down a basketball court competitively, Tonielli is a bit slimmer, which suits him better for receiving. On3's EJ Holland went by Oswego, getting to see Tonielli work out in person and providing some insight on the weight question ($): 

On the hoof, Toniellli is an impressive looking athlete. He is a legit 6-foot-5 and is definitely filling out well. While he’s listed at 200 pounds, Tonielli is heavier than that and has a good build in his upper and lower halves with room to add weight ... Hoopers can sometimes have chicken legs, but Tonielli does not. He’s heavier now that basketball season is over, and I have full confidence that Ben Herbert will add necessary strength/weight. He can easily carry more than 30 pounds. 

Elsewhere in that piece, EJ noted that Tonielli likes basketball but has no plans to pursue it at a higher level. When it comes to assessing Tonielli as a player, Holland's scouting report was mostly in line with Libby's: 

On film, Tonielli is an athletic pass catcher that spend a lot of time as a flex end. He runs really well for his routes and doesn’t have too much trouble getting in and out of breaks, which is impressive for his size. Obviously, Tonielli can go up and get it given his basketball background. At the high school level, he’s a complete mismatch nightmare. 

Both Libby and EJ discuss how Tonielli will have to learn to play in-line and will need to improve considerably as a blocker to start at Michigan, as you may expect given the weight and current usage. 247's Allen Trieu isn't giving us too much to work with, but there are a couple notes not mentioned in other scouting reports ($): 

(Tonielli) also shows some toughness and ability to break tackles after the catch. He is a good all around athlete although we do not see elite top end on film. 

If you're wondering why the "on film" thing keeps popping up, it's because not too many scouts have seen Tonielli play organized football in person. Also, this factor: 

Tonielli has not gone to any camps and gotten verified anywhere that we have been but looks like he has a good combination of growth potential as well as positional skills.

Tonielli is another guy in the class, like Benjamin Hall and Brooks Bahr, who we will learn more about in the fall, as scouts will go specifically to see him now that he's got a Michigan offer and commitment. Until that point, scouts are working off the same Hudl tape available to everyone. Another such scout is Magnus of Touch The Banner, who gave a few quick takes: 

Tonielli’s body looks a lot like Luke Schoonmaker’s body coming out of high school: long and lean. In addition to looking a little like him on the hoof, Tonielli plays a variety of positions for his high school team, including Y tight end, slot receiver, outside receiver, and even some quarterback, which Schoonmaker also did. Tonielli has good pass receiving instincts. He catches the ball well with his hands, and he does a nice job of getting his head around to look for oncoming defenders after making the catch. 

Two notes: 1.) the Schoonmaker comp. also popped up in the Trieu scouting report, so that feels notable; 2.) quarterback????? Move over Villari-Cat, is that the TONIELLI-CAT I hear????? 

That scouting report goes on to note mostly the same stuff others have, but gives a few details on blocking technique specifically: 

His stance at Y tight end will need some work (his outside foot is too far back), and he looks uncomfortable getting out of that stance. He will also need to refine his release technique, since too many high schoolers just let him get a free release off the line instead of trying to jam him. 

In other words, big man who catches footballs but needs to put in work at the cafeteria, in the weight room, and in improving his technique to become an effective blocker at the NCAA level. 

OFFERS

Tonielli had a good collection of Midwest offers spanning primarily the B1G and Big 12. Michigan and in-state Illinois were the primary suitors, but he also held offers from MSU, Cincy, WVU, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa State, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Tennessee. 

HIGH SCHOOL 

Tonielli attends Oswego High School in Oswego, Illinois. With an enrollment of 2,980, it is a huge HS and the football team is classified as level 8A (which is the highest). The Panthers compete in the Southwest Prairie (West) Conference and are generally one of the best teams in that league. They finished 1st in the conference every season from 2011-2018, and have been 2nd since then. In 2021, the team finished 4-1 in conference and 6-4 overall, losing to Glenbard West in the playoffs. Oswego generally does well in their conference but don't advance terribly far in the Class 8A playoffs, so while they are a good program playing at a high level of competition, it's not correct to call them a vaunted state powerhouse or something. 

STATS 

In the 2020-pandemic shortened season (which was played in spring 2021 for Illinois), Tonielli posted 25 catches in 6 games for 440 yards and 3 TD. Maxpreps has no stats listed for the fall 2021 season and I couldn't find them posted anywhere else, which is a bummer because that would be far more informative. 

FAKE 40 TIME 

N/A. No 40 time listed on his Hudl page and he has not been timed at any camps. 

VIDEO 

Here's Tonielli's junior highlight film: 

Do you like one-handed catches? 

Tbt👏 @JulianToma3 pic.twitter.com/H2K4NHnbP0

— Deakon Tonielli (@DeakonTonielli) May 27, 2021

And here's some basketball tape!

. @DeakonTonielli for 3️⃣@OHS_GoPanthers x @MWCrossroadsSho https://t.co/HO0Wn9q0fs #ClutchUp pic.twitter.com/D4Tso8jypW

— Clutch Sports Media (@ClutchSportsIL) February 5, 2022

ETC 

As noted previously, a three-sport athlete (fitting in Michigan's pattern of taking multi-sport athletes). Yet another recruiting win in the Chicagoland area in recent years for Jim Harbaugh's staff, following Tyler Morris, Jimmy Rolder, JJ McCarthy, AJ Henning, and Brooks Bahr (already in this class). Here's the Hello from the board, scroll down in the comments to find the obligatory Steely Dan humor. No word yet on whether Tonielli will learn to work the saxophone. 

 

PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE 

Tonielli is a big, leapy TE with good receiver skills who has some Grow A TE elements. He's not at proper playing weight and will need to get bigger/stronger in college before he can see the field. I'd think that Tonielli is a very likely redshirt when he arrives in the fall of 2023 while they boost him up to playing weight, and even then it might take another year once gaining the weight to be ready to block at the level Michigan desires. But if he can get up to adequate in that component of the game, Tonielli has "dangerous red-zone target" written all over him. I clipped a play of 6'7" Georgia TE Darnell Washington for FFFF back in December where Washington went up to get a jump ball in the end zone that seemed almost automatic... that's the sort of play I could see "6'6" TE with basketball player hops" being really good at if it all comes together.

Thankfully, Michigan's TE depth chart is already very deep and if they do take two TEs in this class, they can afford to be verrrrry patient with Tonielli and let it all come together. And they should, because the payoff of a red-zone demon TE who can bail you out on jump balls and line up all over the offense is a pretty nice package. Not to mention that it's guaranteed that Michigan will use Tonielli's QB skills for a few trick plays here or there. 

UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS 

Michigan is back up to one TE in the class, but they have always been interested in taking another. The most obvious candidate for that is 3* Chico Holt of Texas, who visited the weekend before and whose visit was followed by Michigan picking up several predictions/Crystal Balls for Holt's commitment. The Wolverines are battling Cal, Northwestern, and Wisconsin for Holt, which feels like a very winnable recruitment, although there is always the chance that a Texas school gets involved there and shakes it up.