Jon Sumrall can get one step closer to landing 5-star OL target later this month

Maxwell Hiller will be on campus at the end of the month to take a closer look at what the Gators ate working on this spring.

Hiller, the five-star offensive lineman from Coatsville, Pennsylvania, will be taking his second trip to Gainesville on March 28. The top interior offensive line prospect in the nation last came through the Swamp in late January for a Junior Day recruiting event.

Florida has become one of the unlikely leaders for Hiller over the past three months. He put the Gators on the radar with Jon Sumrall added offensive line coach Phil Trautwein to his coaching staff. Trautwein, who was part of the 2006 and 2008 national championship teams at Florida, built a relationship with Hiller while recruiting him at Penn State, and now it looks like that connection could pay off hugely for Sumrall in his first season.

Where does Florida stand in Maxwell Hiller's recruitment?

While Hiller hasn't officially named Florida as THE leader in his recruitment, it's clear that the elite prospect's relationship with Trautwein is a huge factor and likely gives the Gators an edge over the closest competition — Ohio State, Alabama and Tennessee.

That's why this upcoming spring visit might be even more important for Florida in this recruitment than the planned official visit. This is a chance for Hiller to see the whole coaching staff in action. He will get a good idea of how Sumrall conducts business, how the staff works together and how the players are responding to them. He can see the pace, the physicality and the teachings of the practice. That will likely have far more influence on how Hiller sees himself as a fit in Gainesville than a fun weekend eating steak and hanging out at frat parties.

Hiller's spring visit to Gainesville will give the Gators staff a chance to continue to push Florida ahead, but he'll also be spending time in Columbus, Tuscaloosa and Knoxville over the next month, so there is still much work to do.