Florida head coach Jon Sumrall speaks after spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Florida lands five-star OL Maxwell Hiller over Alabama, Ohio State, Tennessee

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Apr 8, 2026 9:18 PM ET

New Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall has picked up his first head-turning commitment down in Gainesville.

It was a big-time recruiting battle, also featuring the Alabama Crimson Tide, Ohio State Buckeyes and Tennessee Volunteers. Ultimately, though, relationships won out for Sumrall and the Gators.

The commitment is from five-star offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller from Coatesville, Pennsylvania.

Checking in at 6-foot-5, 300 pounds, he's both literally and figuratively a massive commitment for Sumrall and the Gators.

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

BREAKING 5-Star Plus+ IOL Maxwell Hiller has committed to Florida, @Hayesfawcett3 and @SWiltfong_ report

Read: https://t.co/pHs6npOmWh pic.twitter.com/zuwkXNoiM7
— Rivals (@Rivals) April 8, 2026

Sumrall owes new Florida offensive line coach Phil Trautwein a debt of gratitude because he has been recruiting Hiller since he was in the eighth grade. Trautwein was the offensive line coach under James Franklin at Penn State for the last six seasons.

Jon Sumrall gets huge recruiting win with Florida Gators

That relationship was huge for Hiller, but Sumrall played a role as well. Let's not get it twisted.

“I like the development piece at Florida, and that Coach Sumrall wins everywhere he’s been," Hiller said. "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.”

This is a huge get for Florida, especially considering the competition.

Hiller is ranked as the No. 1 interior offensive line recruit in the 2027 class as well as the No. 4 recruit overall, according to 247Sports.

He's Florida's fourth 2027 commitment.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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