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

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 late-March visit with the program. He is the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Florida under first-year coach Jon Sumrall.

Hiller, ESPN's No. 2 overall 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 expects to take trips to Alabama, Ohio State, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Hiller's pledge 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, 2025, 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 from 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