Class of 2026 RB Chooses Mizzou Over Neighboring Rival

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jacob Louraine | Last updated Jun 23, 2025 8:21 PM ET

The Missouri Tigers have added a running back to their 2026 recruiting class. Three-star prospect Maxwell Warner committed to Mizzou on Monday, announcing his decision on ABC 7 Chicago's sports show.

Missouri's latest addition hails from the Chicago area, attending Whitney Young High School, the very same school Mizzou basketball coach Dennis Gates is from.

Warner chose the Tigers over Boston College, Illinois and Miami (FL), choosing to head to the Show-Me State rather than stay home.

3⭐️ RB Maxwell Warner has officially committed to #Mizzou.

Warner just announced his decision on ABC 7 Chicago and becomes the fifth commit of the 2026 class for the Tigers.
— True Deck (@ByTrueDeck) June 23, 2025

Warner's decision also featured a message from Mizzou alum and Chicago Bears receiver Luther Burden III.

"Can't wait to see you go out there and do good things, man... M-I-Z, let's go!" Burden said on air.

According to 247Sports, Warner is the top ranked 2026 running back recruit in the state of Illinois. Across his junior season at Whitney Young, he rushed 518 yards across 107 carries, racking up eight touchdowns in the process.

Warner propelled his team to a 12-2 overall (9-0 conference) record that led to a No. 1 seed in the Illinois Class 7A playoffs.

Whitney Young 2026 RB/DB Maxwell Warner had a breakout season as a running back this past year, showing off track speed and physicality on this 45 yard TD run#RecruitWY // #PhinsUp @maxwarner26 | @dolphinfootball | @CoachFinger pic.twitter.com/hZ2PsdHYxH
— Whitney Young Football Recruiting (@RecruitWY) March 8, 2025

Warner has received several power conference offers, the latest one being from Miami (FL). Missouri was the first Division I team to give Warner an offer and he took his official visit June 6-8.

This commitment comes a day after the Tigers dropped four-star running back Ryan Estrada. He made the trip to Columbia for the first slate of official visits on May 30, but committed to the Minnesota Golden Gophers instead.

Warner becomes the fifth addition of Missouri’s 2026 recruiting class, four of which are offensive players. Warner joins quarterback Gavin Sidwar, wide receiver Jabari Brady, tight end Isaac Jensen, and linebacker Keenan Harris.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: