Florida Gators lock in official visit with top recruit thanks to prized assistant coach, and he could shape the offense for years
The most important hire for Jon Sumrall this offseason was OL coach Phil Trautwein, and he’s proving why it was the right one.
The Florida Gators have been recruiting at a high level in the first two months of head coach Jon Sumrall’s tenure. While they only have one commit so far in the 2027 recruiting class in four-star cornerback Amare Nugent, they are making waves with many top recruits.
Five-star offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller had written off the Gators initially, but Sumrall has flipped the script, locking in an official visit and landing in his top four.
Florida Gators lock in official visit with Maxwell Hiller
Right now, the Gators are one of two programs “setting the pace” for Hiller’s commitment with the Alabama Crimson Tide. The biggest reason? His relationship with new offensive line coach Phil Trautwein.
“The relationship I have with Coach (Phil) Trautwein goes back to eighth grade,” Hiller told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong. “Coach (Jon) Sumrall is a really good guy. I had a couple good meetings with him and he can help me accomplish my dreams as well.”
Not only is Trautwein a really good recruiter and developer of talent, he was the starting left tackle for the Gators’ national championship team in 2008. That kind of pedigree, along with sending multiple Penn State Nittany Lions to the NFL.
Hiller could easily be the next in the line of NFL Draft picks who Trautwein coached. He currently ranks as the 11th-ranked recruit and the top interior offensive lineman in the nation per the Rivals’ Industry Ranking.
Hiller’s official visit being locked in for the weekend of June 19 is huge for the Gators. It will come after visits to Alabama (May 29) and Tennessee (June 12). While there is no officially scheduled visit to Ohio State yet, that is likely to be scheduled soon.
This will be the second time on campus for Hiller, as he made it to Gainesville on Jan. 24. It’s worth noting that he made 12 visits to Penn State while Trautwein was there, as Happy Valley is just 122 miles from his hometown.
Landing Hiller would be huge for the Gators, as the offensive line is primed to be a massive focus for the Gators moving forward. They did bring in multiple recruits in the last class, but they are more high-upside plays, while Hiller has a significantly higher pedigree.
Sumrall and his team are taking the next step toward landing Hiller and things are trending the way the Gators want to see.
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