Tennessee Vols are reportedly 'surging' for elite offensive line recruit that Penn State is hoping to land

The Tennessee Vols have reportedly put themselves in a good position to land one of the top college football recruits in the state of Pennsylvania. 

2027 four-star offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller is from Coatesville, Pa. and he's one of the top recruits in the nation. Logic would suggest that Penn State is the favorite to land the talented recruit. 

Tennessee, however, is reportedly "surging" in the battle for Hiller.

"Maryland and Penn State have emerged as the two early leaders for the 2027 four-star offensive tackle from Coatesville, Pa., but Tennessee has surged maybe right to the top after his weekend visit to Knoxville," wrote Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney on Monday. 

According to Gorney, Hiller "hit it off" with Vols offensive line coach Glen Elarbee during a recent visit to Tennessee. 

Hiller, 6-foot-5/300 lbs, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the nation and the No. 2 player in the state of Pennsylvania. He's also rated as the No. 34 overall player in the 2027 recruiting class (which means he's very, very close to being a five-star recruit). 

There's still a long way to go in this recruiting battle, but it's clear that Tennessee is very much in the mix. 

If the Vols want a true shot to land Hiller, they'll need to show this fall that the current coaching staff can effectively develop high school talent at the offensive line position.