Ohio State and Alabama have gone head-to-head on the field, but will now lock horns in recruiting. They are now going all-in for one of the most elite prospects of the 2027 cycle, Maxwell Hiller. The IOL has whittled down his favorites to four, and some interesting schools have made the cut.

Among them are Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, and Tennessee. It’s a massive win for all these programs because Hiller is the No. 1 IOL in the 2027 cycle. The who’s who of college football have been in pursuit of him; he picked out his top four out of more than 30 offers. Marquee programs like Georgia, Oregon, Miami, and LSU were also vying for some consideration.

Hiller told Rivals that Alabama and Florida are “pretty tied” right now. The Crimson Tide has made a great impact on him, especially because he has some family ties to the school. He will also be making an official visit to Tuscaloosa on May 29, his first on the calendar this year. Kalen DeBoer has to knock it out of the park for Hiller on this visit. Thankfully for the head coach, the IOL has been high on Alabama since the start. Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong has also predicted the IOL to land at Tuscaloosa during the Tide’s 2025 season. Hiller was particularly impressed by Alabama’s takedown of Oklahoma in the playoffs, calling the Tide his “No.1” at that time.

Ohio State is yet to receive an official date. The Buckeyes earned a recent, unofficial visit from him after quite a long time. The Buckeyes were a school to watch out for, especially because of Arthur Smith replacing Brian Hartline as offensive coordinator. Tyler Bowen is also a pretty new face on the staff, having completed only one year as offensive line coach. But to make it in Hiler’s Top 4 proves that Ohio State is on the right track, despite these factors.

“The stability at Ohio State is really good,” Hiller told Rivals. “I don’t see any of those coaches leaving for a couple years based on some of the meetings I had with them over these couple days. When I was there, everything popped out for me.”

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Moreover, Ohio State had also been a priority program for Maxwell Hiller. When he was a sophomore, the IOL used to reach out to Bowen, despite no contact being allowed between the two per the rules. The Buckeyes responded by keeping an eye on his development, which proved to be beneficial for them.

Hiller is yet to begin his senior season, but has already built a massive name for himself. He hauled in 132 pancake blocks in 2025, helping his team finish 10-3 in the season. Hiller also earned first-team All-American honors from MaxPreps. No wonder so many programs are pulling out all the stops for him.

Interestingly, Hiller is no longer interested in his home team, Penn State. It’s a massive loss for Matt Campbell, who is still grounding himself at Happy Valley. The reason he gave the Nittany Lions a miss is Phil Trautwein, who moved from here to Florida. Though Ohio State and Alabama are the big names here, Florida is actually the team to beat.

Why Maxwell Hiller is leaning towards oddball Florida

Florida offered Hiller in April 2025. At that time, there was no reason for him to consider moving to Gainesville. But things changed soon after Billy Napier was fired. New head coach Jon Sumrall brought in his own staff, which now includes Trautwein. And with the new O-line coach came Maxwell Hiller’s interest. He visited them in January for Junior Day and was sold on the Gators.

“The relationship I have with Coach (Phil) Trautwein goes back to eighth grade,” Hiller said. Coach Sumrall is a really good guy. I had a couple good meetings with him and he can help me accomplish my dreams as well,” he said of his thoughts about Florida.

Phil Trautwein’s presence was the “main reason” why Hiller took that trip to campus in January. Thanks to this, what seemed impossible for Florida has become a potential reality. The Gators also have an official visit date (June 19), which the Buckeyes are still searching for.

Among Hiller’s final 4, Florida is the weakest in class strength, with only one commit from the 2027 cycle. And yet, the Gators have firmly seated themselves in the mix for getting his commitment. While Florida still has to battle much stronger Alabama and Ohio State, it can still pull off a major upset.