Lee's Summit RB Preston Hatfield commits to Mizzou

Missouri jumped in late with Preston Hatfield.

Tigers running backs coach Curtis Luper offered the Class of 2026 athlete Sunday during his official visit with Lee’s Summit (Mo.) teammate Karsten Fiene. The duo both committed to Missouri, with Fiene pledging to the Tigers on Sunday and Hatfield on Saturday.

“It’s a little bit of a relief,” Hatfield said. “I didn’t even know if Mizzou was for me. When it finally came through and they asked me to come on a visit, I was really excited and walked away with the offer. That was pretty exciting for me and my family.”

Hatfield and Fiene both visited alongside Liberty (Mo.) North cornerback Trashundon Neal, who announced his commitment less than four hours after Fiene. The trio of Kansas City-area recruits moved the in-state total to seven in the 2026 class.

“That was really when I heard (Fiene) was going on the same weekend as me,” Hatfield said. “Just getting to bond even more than we already did was really cool. And also seeing another local dude that we have played against this year, Trashundon, that was pretty cool for him to get up there on the same weekend as well. We all got to do the photo shoot together.”

Fiene set a Show-Me Bowl record with 457 rushing yards in the MSHSAA Class 6 state championship this past season. The 6-foot, 163-pound running back also scored four touchdowns en route to the state title.

After 1,826 all-purpose yards in his senior season, Hatfield will join early enrollee Maxwell Warner as the second running back in the 2026 high school class. The Tigers also targeted former Syracuse commit D’Antae Sheffey, who canceled his Missouri visit and committed to Penn State.

Hatfield marks second Lee’s Summit commitment

With the scholarship limit expanded to 105 in the SEC, programs were able to extend more late offers to fill out their roster. Fiene, Hatfield and Neal all received their respective scholarships after the Early Signing Period at the start of December.

Missouri, of course, also has a history with Lee’s Summit prospects. Since 2015, the Tigers have signed quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Max Whisner and wide receiver brothers Joshua and Micah Manning, who started his collegiate career at Iowa Western Community College.