Florida Gators Receive Positive Update in Five-Star OL Maxwell Hiller's Recruitment

Earlier this week, Coatesville (Pa.) five-star offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller said the Florida Gators were "probably at No. 1" in his recruitment. Now, the nation's No. 1 interior lineman is predicted to choose the Orange and Blue.

247 Sports' Tyler Harden on Friday gave a crystal ball prediction for Hiller, who has a top four of Florida, Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee, to choose the Gators. Hiller (6-5.5, 300 pounds) is Rivals' and 247 Sports' No. 1 interior lineman and a consensus top 10 prospect in the class of 2027.

Five-star IOL Maxwell Hiller hopped on the Swamp247 Recruiting Podcast, and he spoke on his tight relationship with Phil Trautwein.

The Gators continue to impress, and are a legitimate contender for one of the top 2027 recruits in the country.

➡️: https://t.co/bc73Xrexfc (VIP) pic.twitter.com/iOADHQSWm8
— Tyler Harden (@ttjharden8) February 26, 2026

Once Florida tabbed alum Phil Trautwein as its next offensive line coach, Hiller's interest in the Gators grew exponentially. Trautwein, known for his ability to develop young players and recruit at a high level, had previously recruited Hiller at Penn State.

As Hiller continued to build his relationship with Trautwein, so did Florida's chances.

"I'd say Florida's probably at No. 1 right now, but it's a really good fight for No. 2 between (Alabama, Tennessee and Ohio State)," Hiller told Harden.

He currently has three official visits scheduled: Alabama on May 29, Tennessee on June 12 and Florida on June 19.

Should Hiller commit to Florida, he would be the Gators' first five-star offensive lineman to commit to the program out of high school since tackle Martez Ivey in 2015. The Gators currently have two former five-stars — Jason Zandamela-Popa and TJ Shanahan Jr. — on the roster as transfers.

While known for recruiting top-ranked talent, Trautwein said stars are not his main priority when recruiting a prospect.

"I’m going to recruit kids that love football, that want to be developed, that understand that development is first and also relationships," he said. "If they happen to be a five-star, that’s great... make sure that they do have talent, they can bend, they can come off the ball, they have great strength and power and all of that stuff and there’s stuff that our strength staff will have to work with me with, and all that stuff, but as long as they want to be great, those are the kind of guys that build relationships with me, and I can push them every single day."

Meanwhile, Hiller is the latest recruit in the 2027 class predicted to choose Florida. The Gators currently have predictions to land four-star receiver Anthony Jennings, four-star edge rusher Frederick Ards III, four-star defensive lineman Tyler Alexander and three-star defensive back Kamarui Whitfield from On3 recruiting experts.

Florida's 2027 recruiting class is currently made up of four-star defensive back Amare Nugent and three-star tight end Jackson Ballinger.