College Sports

Gators Land Top 100 OL in 2027 Class Over Clemson

By Cam Parker Sports Illustrated

The Florida Gators on Tuesday continued its dominant recruiting momentum by landing a commitment from Roanoke (Va.) North Cross School four-star tackle Elijah Hutcheson (6-5, 260 pounds) over Clemson, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech.

Hutcheson, Rivals' No. 77 overall recruit and No. 6 tackle, received a prediction on Monday from On3/Rivals' Blake Alderman to ultimately choose Florida over Clemson, which was considered the other top contender for Hutcheson's services.

Hutcheson announced his decision during a livestream on the Rivals YouTube Channel.

"After I went down there for my spring visit and saw them get to work, I knew that was the spot that was going to push myself to be the best," Hutcheson said. "I'm excited to be a Gator."

Hutcheson's commitment is the latest recruiting win for position coach Phil Trautwein, whose impact is already being felt after landing Florida's first five-star commit at the position since 2015 in Maxwell Hiller and Florida's first ESPN top 100 pair since 2012 in Hiller and four-star Peyton Miller. Hutcheson's pledge gives Florida its first trio of ESPN top 150 commits on the offensive line since 2006 and first trio of 247 Sports top 150 commits at the position in program history.

Florida is also among the top four for four-star offensive lineman Layton Von Brandt. Should Von Brandt choose Florida, it would give the Gators its first quartet of ESPN top 150 offensive linemen in program history.

Trautwein, while ending multiple recruiting droughts before ever coaching a game for Florida, previously said that he does not focus on stars or rankings when targeting a prospect. Still, that has not stopped him from targeting high-profile recruits that fit his style.

"I truly believe, I don't think in every single recruit we're going to be the highest bidder, so sometimes kids have to take a chance on me and know that I'm going to develop them and get them to the next level which is the money they really want," he said. "There's some sell always in that but just making sure they have the right mindset and it comes down to who they are, are they tough, are they willing to work and are they willing to work on their weaknesses and turn them into strengths."

That history of development is what drew Hutcheson to choosing Florida.

"They showed me the development aspect and what I could be," he said. "They have a plan for me, and I'm coming to execute that plan."

Three more prospects with at least one prediction to choose Florida are set toannounce their decisions this week, with four-star safety Kailib Dillard also announcing on Tuesday at 5 p.m., three-star defensive lineman Stive-Bentley Keumajou Yondui announcing on Wednesday at 9 a.m. and four-star running back Andrew Beard announcing on Friday at 4 p.m.

Florida also holds existing predictions to land four-star receiver Amare Patterson, four-star receiver Elias Pearl, four-star edge rusher Frederick Ards III, four-star defensive lineman Tyler Alexander and three-star corner Kamauri Whitfield.

Florida Gators 2027 Recruiting Class

Florida Gators on SI is tracking all of Florida's moves in the 2027 recruiting class in our official tracker. After landing seven commits in April, Florida's 2027 recruiting class currently ranks eighth in the Rivals Industry Ranking and in the 247 Sports Composite.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as Gators Land Top 100 OL in 2027 Class Over Clemson.

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This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 2:08 PM.

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