5-star offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller commits to Florida

The Florida Gators added their biggest commitment of the Jon Sumrall era on Wednesday when Coatesville (Pa.) 5-star offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller pulled the trigger.

The Florida Gators have added one of their top overall targets

This commitment isn’t just huge for the current Florida staff, but the program overall. Hiller’s commitment marks the first 5-star offensive lineman to commit to the Gators since Martez Ivey in the 2015 recruiting cycle. New Florida offensive line coach Phil Trautwein deserves a ton of credit for ending UF’s drought of 5-star offensive linemen, which has spanned over a decade.

Hiller is the No. 4 overall recruit in the country and No. 1 interior offensive lineman.

The relationship with Trautwein was the catalyst for Maxwell Hiller eventually committing to Florida. However, as he dove deeper into the program, he fell more in love with the Gators as a whole.

“What they’re building down there, I feel like they are building something special,” Hiller said. “From talking to the players and getting closer to other recruits, I feel like everybody else is on the same page.”

The relationship built with Coach Sumrall ever since Hiller made his first visit to Florida in January is one of the biggest developments that helped push UF over the hump.

“With coach Sumrall, we clicked like that during the first meeting we ever had. He had a lot of energy, and with him being a former SEC linebacker, I feel like you have to have some type of mentality. I feel like we have a similar mentality and vision for a lot of stuff.”

What Florida did to move from leader to landing this commitment

The Florida Gators skyrocketed up Maxwell Hiller’s list following a Junior Day visit in January. Several weeks removed from that visit, the Gators were No. 1 on Hiller’s list. Florida then hosted Hiller on campus for a two-day stay this spring. It didn’t take long for him to find his way onto UF’s commitment list. The connection with Coach Trautwein and Hiller’s confidence that he can be developed under his coaching were huge. However, there were several other factors that sold him.

“I like the development piece at Florida, and that Coach Sumrall wins everywhere he’s been. He’s been in the Top 25 as a head coach at Troy and Tulane, and I think he’s going to do that at Florida. He did it at those schools, and they may not be in the same tier as Florida, but if he can do that there, I’m excited to see what he can do at a big school with all of the resources. So really, I like the people, the development piece, the coaching staff, and then the location and weather. Florida checks off a lot of boxes.”

Maxwell Hiller is now Florida’s highest-rated commit

With the addition of Maxwell Hiller, UF now sits with four commitments in the 2027 class. Hiller joins Cottondale (Fla.) 4-star athlete Tramond Collins, Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage 4-star cornerback Amare Nugent and Centerburg (Ohio) 3-star tight end Jackson Ballinger on the commitment list.

The Rivals Industry, a weighted average of the three major recruiting services, ranks Maxwell Hiller as the nation’s No. 4 overall player and No. 1-ranked interior offensive lineman. He’s also a 5-star plus at Rivals, which means he’s a consensus five-star on each major recruiting service.