How Florida's 2027 OL Class is Shaping Up to be its Best in Over a Decade
It has not taken Florida Gators offensive line coach Phil Trautwein to reacclimate himself at his alma mater, as the former Gator is pushing all the right buttons on the recruiting trail this cycle.
The effort and determination from Trautwein early into his tenure have the Gators 2027 offensive line class shaping up to be the best in nearly a decade for the program.
For starters, Florida earned two blue-chip offensive line prospects in April. The first came from Coatesville (Pa.) five-star offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller, who is the consensus No. 1 overall interior offensive lineman in the 2027 class and the first five-star offensive line commit since 2015. Anna (Texas) four-star offensive lineman Peyton Miller is the other, pledging himself to Florida on Monday.
Neither were they easy battles, either. Florida's Jon Sumrall and Trautwein beat out Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee for Hiller's verbal. Then, Sumrall and Trautwein went into Texas and bested the Texas Tech Red Raiders for Miller, who were the perceived leaders for the longest time.
The last time the Gators earned commitments and signed at least two top-150 offensive linemen was in the 2012 cycle, when they signed five-star D.J. Humphries and four-star Jessamen Dunker. It is also the first time since that 2012 class that the Gators have earned commitments from two offensive linemen ranked inside the top 10 of their respective position group.
Florida now holds commitments from the No. 1 OT in the SC Next 300 (Maxwell Hiller) and the No. 1 OC (Peyton Miller) @HillerMaxwell@PeytonMill09
- Billy Tucker (@TheUCReport) April 28, 2026
Gators are going to be a problem in the trenches pic.twitter.com/aJ1dDZwDxG
It is not all just about Hiller and Miller, though. Trautwein has Florida in great standing with several other four-star recruits.
Three recruits they are gaining headway with are Middletown (Del.) Appoquinimink four-star offensive tackle Layton Von Brandt, Roanoke (Va.) North Cross School four-star offensive tackle Elijah Hutchison and Lansdale (Pa.) Lansdale Catholic four-star interior offensive lineman Terrance Smith.
If they were to land even just one of these names, that would make it their first class bringing in at least three four-star offensive linemen since 2017.
Those are just three recruits that have the Gators high up on their lists. Florida is also in it for many other blue-chip offensive linemen in this cycle.
The other four-star prospects who are listening to the Gators are Locust Grove (Ga.) four-star offensive lineman Timu Aliu, Carteret (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep four-star offensive lineman Oluwasmilore Olubobola, Lithonia (Ga.) four-star offensive lineman Kennedee Jackson and Loganville (Ga.) Grayson four-star offensive lineman Jordan Agbanoma.
So, it is safe to say, by the end of the 2027 cycle, the Gators could be looking at their best cycle in nearly a decade, thanks to Trautwein's hiring.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as How Florida's 2027 OL Class is Shaping Up to be its Best in Over a Decade.
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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 4:09 PM.