Florida Visits With 5-Star Target Already Crystal Balled to Gators

The Florida Gators hosted a group of top recruiting talents over the weekend, and one of them was five-star 2027 offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller.

Hiller is the top-ranked interior offensive lineman and the fifth-ranked player overall in his class, via 247 Sports' composite rankings.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound prospect has already received offers from 31 teams, including Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Indiana, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon and USC, among many others.

However, it appears that Hiller currently favors Florida. Or at least that's why the prognosticators think.

247 Sports has crystal-balled Hiller to the Gators, which would represent a massive get for Jon Sumrall in his first year as head coach.

Florida has secured commitments from three players for the class of 2027, including four-star cornerback Amare Nugent and four-star wide receiver Tramond Collins.

The Gators have also been rather ubiquitous on the hunt for other top recruits, indicating how much of an impact Sumrall's arrival has had.

Multiple players have already noted how much the energy and atmosphere in Gainesville has changed under Sumrall's direction, so perhaps Florida is finally beginning to turn things around after a dreadful stretch.

The Gators went 4-8 last season and have posted four losing campaigns the last five years, marking one of the worst runs in school history.

Florida initially offered Hiller back in December, just a couple of weeks after Sumrall took the job.

The Coatesville, Pa. native also has an official visit with the Gators lined up for June 19. Additionally, Hiller has official meetings scheduled with Alabama (May 29), Tennessee (June 12) and South Carolina (June 19).

Clearly, Florida is facing some pretty stiff competition in the race for Hiller, but the fact that the Gators have been labeled the favorite in the early going is a fantastic sign.

Sumrall had spent his first four years of head-coaching experience between Troy and Tulane, where he split time between both schools.

During that run, the 43-year-old went 43-12, most recently leading Tulane to an 11-3 record and a College Football Playoff appearance.

But can Sumrall experience the same type of success in a Power-4 conference? We are about to find out.

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