Prized recruit Hiller, No. 2 OT in '27, picks Florida

Five-star offensive tackle Maxwell Hiller, the No. 7 overall recruit in the SC Next Junior 300, told ESPN on Wednesday that he had committed to Florida.

The 6-foot-5, 305-pound lineman from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, gave the Gators his verbal pledge Wednesday following a visit in late March with the program. He is the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Florida under first-year coach Jon Sumrall.

Hiller, ESPN’s No. 2 offensive tackle in 2027, joins in-state athlete Tramond Collins (No. 147 overall) as the second top-300 pledge in the program’s incoming class. Upon his commitment, Hiller told ESPN he no longer expected to take trips to Alabama, Ohio State, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Hiller’s commitment marks Florida’s most significant recruiting victory since Sumrall replaced Billy Napier late last year.

Sumrall and his staff initially offered Hiller on Dec. 12, the same day ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Florida’s hiring of ex-Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. A two-time national champion with the Gators in 2004-08, Trautwein began recruiting Hiller to the Nittany Lions while Hiller was in middle school. Trautwein later handed Hiller his first FBS offer with Penn State in May 2023 and was at the forefront of the Gators’ efforts to land him this spring.

“I took so many visits to Penn State while he was there,” Hiller told ESPN. “I’ve trained with him. I’ve watched him work with players. He’s more than a coach for me. He’s my guy. That relationship right there is a huge part of why we got interested in Florida.”

Hiller made his first visit to Florida in late January and “clicked right away” with Sumrall, he told ESPN. A return trip to the Gators in late March, following recent visits to Ohio State and Tennessee, ultimately sealed Hiller’s decision.

“Once you get that feeling that that’s the place that you want to be, you know it’s time,” Hiller said. “I got that feeling down there. I don’t think there’s another school that is going to give me that level of comfortability.”

Hiller’s commitment represents a key early win for Sumrall & Co. at a position the Gators have struggled to recruit elite talent in recent cycles.

Across the five classes since Napier’s debut cycle in 2022, Florida has landed only three offensive tackles ranked inside the SC Next 300. If Hiller ultimately signs with Florida, he’ll represent the program’s highest-ranked offensive tackle signee since Martez Ivey joined as the nation’s No. 5 overall recruit in 2015.

Beyond Hiller, the Gators remain in contention for some of the nation’s top offensive line prospects this spring, including five-stars Kennedy Brown (No. 2 overall) and Mark Matthews (No. 10) and four-star lineman Layton Von Brandt (No. 41), a former Penn State commit. ESPN sources also view Florida as the front-runner for four-star quarterback Davin Davidson (No. 175), who announced his commitment Thursday night.

A multiyear starter on the offensive line at Pennsylvania’s Coatesville High School, Hiller is also a standout basketball player alongside his brother Colton Hiller, a five-star small forward in the 2028 recruiting class. Colton Hiller, ESPN’s No. 3 overall prospect in the 2028 cycle, holds offers from Alabama, Indiana and UConn, among others.