Always be 'crootin'. While that might as well be Jon Sumrall's mantra since taking over the Florida Gators, it is more about building upon what is already there, and then some... One of the best parts about him coming to Gainesville is the notion he could turn this downtrodden SEC program around in a hurry. One of there reasons for it is he has added coaches like Phil Trautwein to his coaching staff.
Fate would have it, one of Trautwein's former commits in Layton von Brandt has finalized his top four.
- Auburn Tigers
- Florida Gators
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Penn State Nittany Lions
Von Brandt may still end up choosing Penn State out of his native Delaware, but Florida is in the mix.
NEWS: Four-Star OT Layton von Brandt is down to 4 Schools, he tells me for @Rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 4, 2026
⁰The 6’6 285 OT is ranked as a Top 5 OT in the 2027 Rivals Industry Rankings
He’s locked in official visits to each of his finalists https://t.co/nahnWxww3a pic.twitter.com/Czza7ZnsxO
According to the 247Sports Composite, von Brandt is the No. 1 prospect from Delaware, the No. 5 offensive tackle in his class, and the No. 64 overall recruit in the 2027 recruiting cycle. He initially committed to Penn Sate back on Nov. 9, 2024 to play for Trautwein as a part of James Franklin's staff. He de-committed on Oct. 12, 2025 after Franklin was let go. Clearly, Trautwein was his guy in all this.
Given that Trautwein is back at his alma mater of Florida, it gives the Gators a real shot at landing him.
Phil Trautwein could bring 4-star OT Layton von Brandt to Florida Gators
Relationships are everything. Von Brandt seems to have a strong one with Trautwein. Because Sumrall favors the other side of the football, he may need to lean on his new offensive line coach more so than anything to potentially land this four-star offensive tackle recruit out of Delaware. As far as how we should view the competition, Penn State is the one to watch more so than the other teams.
Notre Dame is a national player for seemingly anyone, but the Irish are always a tough team to have a read on for that reason. Auburn needs more good players, but it seems as though if von Brandt was to come down south and play in the SEC, it would be for Florida. It should be noted that he has an official visit lined up with the Gators later in the month on May 28. Maybe von Brand commits to Florida then?
Overall, Sumrall is putting together one helluva first true recruiting class. He may have coached at the Group of Six level previously, but he is giving off the early impressions of a head coach who belongs in the Power Two. Right now, Sumrall needs to harness all the positive momentum he can. Until games are being played in autumn, everyone in Gator Nation will keep on giving him the benefit of the doubt.
At this point in time, Florida really has to love its chances of landing von Brandt because of Trautwein.
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