Maxwell Hiller, No. 2 OT in class of 2027, commits to Florida

five-star offensive tackle maxwell hillerThe No. 7 overall pick in the SC Next Jr. 300 told ESPN on Wednesday he’s committed. Florida.

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

Hiller, ESPN’s No. 2 offensive tackle in 2027, joins in-state athletes tramond collins (No. 147 overall) as the second top-300 pledge in the program’s incoming class. Upon his commitment, Hiller told ESPN he does not expect to make any more trips alabama, Ohio State, South Carolina And tennessee.

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

Sumrall and his staff initially offered Hiller on December 12, the same day ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported the pre-recruitment by Florida.penn state Offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. Trautwein, a two-time national champion with the Gators from 2004–08, began recruiting Hiller to the Nittany Lions when 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 a lot of visits to Penn State when he was there,” Hiller told ESPN. “I’ve trained with him. I’ve watched him work with the players. He’s more than a coach to me. He’s my guy. That relationship is a big part of why our interest in Florida grew.”

He told ESPN that Hiller took his first visit to Florida in late January and “immediately clicked” with Sumrall. After recent visits to Ohio State and Tennessee, the Gators’ return visit in late March finally sealed Hiller’s decision.

“Once you realize this is where you want to go, you know this is the time,” Hiller said. “I got that feeling there. I don’t think there’s any other school that could give me that level of comfort.”

Hiller’s commitment represents an important early win for Sumrall and Co., at a position where the Gators have struggled to recruit elite talent in recent cycles.

In the five classes since Napier’s first rotation in 2022, Florida has had only three offensive tackles ranked inside the SC Next 300. If Hiller ultimately signs with Florida, he would represent the program’s highest-ranked offensive tackle signee since Martez Ivey joined the team 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-star kennedy brown (No. 2 overall) and mark matthews (No. 10) and four-star lineman leyton von brandt (No. 41), a former Penn State commit. ESPN sources also see Florida as the front-runner for the four-star quarterback devin davidson (No. 175), who announced his commitment Thursday night.

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