Ryan Day isn’t exactly kicking his feet up this offseason - not when there’s a five-star offensive lineman like Maxwell Hiller walking through the doors of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Hiller, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound force out of Pennsylvania, made the trip to Columbus this past weekend, and by all accounts, the visit went about as well as Ohio State could’ve hoped. The Buckeyes are in the thick of a heated recruiting battle, with SEC programs like South Carolina and Florida also making strong early impressions, but Day and his staff aren’t backing down from the challenge. They know what’s at stake - and they’re treating Hiller like the game-changer he is.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just any recruit. Hiller is the No. 1-ranked interior offensive lineman in the 2027 class, the No. 2 player in Pennsylvania, and sits inside the top 10 nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.
He’s already racked up 31 scholarship offers - a number that speaks volumes about how coveted he is across the country. And while he’s only taken one official visit so far (to South Carolina), that number is going to grow, fast.
For Ohio State, getting Hiller on campus in the dead of winter is a big win. These visits matter - not just for the facilities and the photo ops, but for the relationships being built behind the scenes.
Day and his staff are clearly making Hiller a priority, and they’ll be pushing to get him back to Columbus for an official visit down the line. That’s when things get real.
As it stands, the Buckeyes’ 2027 class already has nine verbal commitments, including a pair of five-star headliners in Jamier Brown and DJ Jacobs. It’s a strong foundation, and if Ohio State can add Hiller to that mix, it would be a massive boost to what’s shaping up to be another elite haul for Day.
Spring ball is just around the corner, and with it comes a new wave of momentum in recruiting. Ohio State’s staff is aiming to hit double-digit commitments soon - and players like Hiller are exactly the kind of cornerstone pieces they want in that group.
Whether Hiller ends up in the Scarlet and Gray is still a question for another day, but one thing’s certain: the Buckeyes are firmly in the race, and they’re not treating this like just another recruitment. They’re going all-in on a player who could anchor their offensive line for years to come.