Nation's No. 3 Recruit Gets Update After Announcing Top Schools

One of the most highly coveted offensive line prospects and overall most promising players in the 2027 college football recruiting class is predictably arousing substantial interest from elite programs as he continues through his process.

And now the player has earned another notable consideration from analysts as they fine tune their national prospect rankings heading into an active 2027 cycle.

No. 1 ranked Coatesville (Pa.) interior offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller has been promoted to a Five-Star Plus player as Rivals debuted their official Rivals300 rankings on Monday.

What does Five-Star Plus mean?

Basically, it means he’s a super recruit. Can’t miss. A generational talent. On paper, at least.

A five-star plus rating indicates that a player is not merely a five-star prospect according to the Rivals recruiting analysts, but is also considered a five-star player across multiple major ranking services aside from Rivals, like 247Sports, ESPN, etc.

Such prospects score exceptionally high in the various combined industry evaluations and are considered the very top tier of the elite among high school football recruits.

As a result, Hiller is getting serious interest from elite programs around the country. And that interest is mutual.

What schools are in play?

At the top of the list is the 2027 class considered the best in the nation.

Ohio State tops the industry average recruiting rankings this cycle, and is in the picture for Hiller among the four finalists he listed during his process.

Three of the nine commits the Buckeyes have on the books are also interior linemen, including No. 12 IOL Liberty Center (Ohio) Kellen Wymer, No. 23 lineman Broady McNeel from Richmond (Va.), and three-star No. 37 St. Clairsville (Ohio) Mason Wilt.

SEC powerhouses involved

Hiller also mentioned Alabama as one of his four schools, and would be a major boost to a class that ranks No. 9 nationally, according to the industry average.

None of the Crimson Tide’s four 2027 pledges are offensive linemen, although it does feature No. 12 ranked four-star Mobile (Ala.) edge rusher JaBarrius Garror.

First-year head coach Jon Sumrall and Florida are in the conversation for Hiller, and he would serve as a rock-solid foundation for the Gators’ No. 51 ranked 2027 class.

So far, just one prospect -- No. 13 cornerback Amare Nugent -- has given his commitment to Sumrall and Florida in their 2027 efforts.

Rocky Top wants involved, too

Tennessee is also in play and eager to move into the top 15 of the national recruiting rankings, currently slated as the No. 18 class in the 2027 cycle.

That group features one offensive lineman, four-star No. 11 ranked Murfreesboro (Tenn.) tackle Princeton Uwaifo, one of the 10 best players in the Volunteer State.

How does Hiller rates as a recruit

That promise was reflected in how Hiller is rated compared to his peers nationally.

Hiller is rated as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman prospect in the country and the top-ranked overall recruit in the state of Pennsylvania, according to an industry average of the national recruiting services.

That average also considers Hiller to be the No. 3 overall high school prospect in the entire 2027 college football recruiting class, regardless of position.

Just edge rusher and Ohio State commit David Jacobs (No. 2) and cornerback John Meredith (No. 1) are said to be superior prospects on the national stage.

What the experts are thinking

The projection artists are definitely leaning one way when considering where Hiller will ultimately give his commitment.

Alabama leads the way in the race to sign the top-ranked interior offensive lineman at 77.2 percent, according to the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine.

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