Alabama among the last four standing for 5-star OL with critical visit on deck

Kalen DeBoer and Alabama have put themselves in a strong position to potentially land one of the top prospects in the 2027 recruiting class.

5-star OL Maxwell Hiller from Coatesville, Pennsylvania, is the No. 10 overall player and the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the 2027 class, per the 247 composite. He's one of the most coveted players in the country, and Alabama made the final four in his recruitment.

Hiller announced his final four schools on Saturday, which included the Crimson Tide along with Tennessee, Florida, and Ohio State.

Alabama makes the final four for 5-star Maxwell Hiller, schedules official visit

Alabama has been seen as the favorite in Hiller's recruitment for months. He took a visit to Tuscaloosa in the fall, and On3's Steve Wiltfong placed a prediction in favor of the Crimson Tide in the immediate aftermath of that visit.

Alabama holds a significant edge in the Rivals prediction machine, with the RPM giving DeBoer and company a 77% chance of ultimately landing Hiller. But there's a long time before the early signing period in December.

That was also before Alabama made a change in who Hiller assumed would be his position coach in Tuscaloosa. DeBoer made the decision to let go of Chris Kapilovic last month, replacing him with USC analyst Adrian Klemm, a veteran OL coach who has spent time coaching the lines of the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL, along with Oregon and UCLA, among others, in the college ranks.

Along with announcing his trimmed list, Hiller also set up his official visits for the summer. Alabama will be up first, hosting the 5-star offensive lineman over the final weekend of May. He'll follow that up with trips to Tennessee and Florida in June, with an expected trip to Ohio State also on the docket, but not officially determined yet.

Alabama is in a good spot in Hiller's recruitment, and it will look to seal the deal when he arrives in late May.