Newer to football, Maxwell Warner never closed a door this offseason.
The track and field star turned into a gridiron prospect over the past year at Chicago (Ill.) Whitney Young, and with an SEC program high on his offer list, he finally got his first meeting with the coach that surprised him with a late Christmas gift in December.
Missouri running backs coach Curtis Luper paid an in-school visit to see Warner, the recruit's parents and Whitney Young coach Dan Finger on Thursday. The five spoke for nearly two hours, with Luper touching on the values and family aspects of the Tigers' program.
Warner's mother, Val, and stepfather, Elijah Maxey Jr., both work extensively in the community with broadcast news, the criminal justice system and a pro-am basketball league to make a positive impact on Chicago.
"Community is important to them," Finger said. "Having the service aspect, something we preach in our program, it's one of our two core values: sacrifice and service. ... To have that discussed, it was a natural question for his folks to bring up."
Community service attracted Warner to Whitney Young, with there being a graduation requirement in the extracurricular, so Luper noting Missouri has a similar one within its own program left a strong impression on the group.
Warner, who also received an in-person visit from Tigers tight ends coach Derham Cato in April, scheduled an official visit with Missouri for June 6-8, marking his first trip to see the program. But the visit might also open an avenue to connect with Whitney Young alumnus and Missouri men's basketball coach Dennis Gates.
Finger introduced himself to Gates earlier this month at a school fundraiser. The two exchanged contact information, with Gates inviting Finger down this winter to shadow his staff. While at Florida State, Gates did something similar, sitting in meetings and practices with former mentors Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher.
"He could not have been more gracious," Finger said. "I'm going to text him to see if he can meet with Max briefly while they're down there."
Former Missouri wideout Luther Burden III also took center stage in the conversation. Warner's mother, who has used her journalistic platform to chronicle her son's football journey, recently got in contact with Burden's aunt on social media.
"I think Max's stepdad has a Bears tattoo, so, we, of course, were discussing Luther, and Coach Lupe loves Luther," Finger said. "They're excited that he ended up in Chicago, because being from Illinois, it's not far from Mizzou. It's a big-time get for them, and we're excited as Bears fans."
While bound for the Power Four level, Warner has still appreciated every coach who has come through the door. Finger raved about Warner's respect for everyone and understanding to keep each relationship, as those could be leveraged in many ways at the next level.
"Folks from D-II schools came in, and he treats them like Nick Saban," Finger said. "I think he's such a charming and engaging kid. You can tell that that he's his mama's son. ... And he's got that smile totally from her."
Boston College, Illinois, Purdue and MAC programs have all remained in the picture with Warner, who has continued to field new interest this spring. Warner's looked to narrow down his options, too, hopinh to make a decision by the end of June.
Every coach that came through this spring expressed worries about weight loss during track and field, though, but for Warner this offseason, he's added into his 5-foot-10 frame, sitting around 185-190 pounds ahead of his senior year.
"The No. 1 thing (Luper's) constantly looking for is making guys miss and then refusing to be tackled, and he said he saw on it on Max's film," Finger said. "And that's what sort of attracted them to Max from the get go back in the winter."
2026 RB Maxwell Warner embraces community service role in Mizzou meeting
After his first in-person meeting with Curtis Luper, Maxwell Warner scheduled an official visit with Missouri.
