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Missouri returns one of the best running backs in college football this fall, but his status heading into the season has been in question after a scary situation during the offseason.
In May, Ahmad Hardy was shot in the leg while attending a concert in Laurel, Mississippi. He underwent emergency surgery and was released days after the shooting, but his recovery process is ongoing.
Coach Eli Drinkwitz gave us a positive update on Hardy's progress at SEC media days Monday, announcing that Hardy has been medically cleared to return to the field. Drinkwitz revealed that the bullet struck a bone, which has been the primary complication with Hardy's recovery. He added that the timeline for a return to play is unclear and could be anywhere from five to eight weeks.
"We anticipate he will make a recovery, but what that recovery will look like after having a bullet strike you is still to be determined," Drinkwitz said, per CBS Sports' Brad Crawford. "We do not know exactly what the return-to-play progression is because there's not a lot of literature to that on this.
"We do anticipate this return-to-play protocol could take anywhere from 5-8 weeks, and at the end of the eight weeks, we still don't know what the recovery will be — is he the same Ahmad Hardy as he was last year? My anticipation and what I've seen and the way he's attacked his rehab, he's going to be a better Ahmad Hardy than he was before."
While that timeline could ultimately hold Hardy out for the beginning of the 2026 season, Drinkwitz reiterated that he thinks the star rusher will come back stronger.
"I think there's a youthfulness feel of invincibility for all of these guys right now from 18 to 22 (years) old, and they're empowered more now than they've ever been before, whether that's financially or influence," Drinkwitz said. "I think for Ahmad, there was that moment there where he realized he was mortal, and there could be really bad outcomes if you don't make the right decisions consistently.
"It was an unfortunate accident, incident and it wasn't something he had any intention, nobody did -- when you go to a concert, you don't expect to be a victim of a random act of violence, especially gun violence. But I've been very, very proud of the way he has approached his recovery. This was a great opportunity for Ahmad to learn and for our student-athletes to learn. Also a great reminder there's no place for gun violence in this world and that we need to do a better job of policing gun violence."
If he can return to his 2025 level, Hardy will be one of the best running backs in the country this season. After rushing for 1,351 yards as a true freshman at Louisiana-Monroe in 2024, he joined the Tigers. In his first season at Missouri, he ran for 1,560 yards and 16 touchdowns.
He was named a consensus All-American and also received SEC Newcomer of the Year honors.
If healthy, Hardy will play a major role on a Missouri offense that features a new starting quarterback in Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons. If he is unavailable for the start of the season, the Tigers will likely turn to Jamal Roberts, a veteran who backed up Hardy last season. In 2025, Roberts ran for 753 yards and six touchdowns.
Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Eli Drinkwitz updates Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy's recovery from shooting
Continue reading...
In May, Ahmad Hardy was shot in the leg while attending a concert in Laurel, Mississippi. He underwent emergency surgery and was released days after the shooting, but his recovery process is ongoing.
Coach Eli Drinkwitz gave us a positive update on Hardy's progress at SEC media days Monday, announcing that Hardy has been medically cleared to return to the field. Drinkwitz revealed that the bullet struck a bone, which has been the primary complication with Hardy's recovery. He added that the timeline for a return to play is unclear and could be anywhere from five to eight weeks.
"We anticipate he will make a recovery, but what that recovery will look like after having a bullet strike you is still to be determined," Drinkwitz said, per CBS Sports' Brad Crawford. "We do not know exactly what the return-to-play progression is because there's not a lot of literature to that on this.
"We do anticipate this return-to-play protocol could take anywhere from 5-8 weeks, and at the end of the eight weeks, we still don't know what the recovery will be — is he the same Ahmad Hardy as he was last year? My anticipation and what I've seen and the way he's attacked his rehab, he's going to be a better Ahmad Hardy than he was before."
While that timeline could ultimately hold Hardy out for the beginning of the 2026 season, Drinkwitz reiterated that he thinks the star rusher will come back stronger.
"I think there's a youthfulness feel of invincibility for all of these guys right now from 18 to 22 (years) old, and they're empowered more now than they've ever been before, whether that's financially or influence," Drinkwitz said. "I think for Ahmad, there was that moment there where he realized he was mortal, and there could be really bad outcomes if you don't make the right decisions consistently.
"It was an unfortunate accident, incident and it wasn't something he had any intention, nobody did -- when you go to a concert, you don't expect to be a victim of a random act of violence, especially gun violence. But I've been very, very proud of the way he has approached his recovery. This was a great opportunity for Ahmad to learn and for our student-athletes to learn. Also a great reminder there's no place for gun violence in this world and that we need to do a better job of policing gun violence."
What would a healthy Ahmad Hardy mean for Missouri's offense?
If he can return to his 2025 level, Hardy will be one of the best running backs in the country this season. After rushing for 1,351 yards as a true freshman at Louisiana-Monroe in 2024, he joined the Tigers. In his first season at Missouri, he ran for 1,560 yards and 16 touchdowns.
He was named a consensus All-American and also received SEC Newcomer of the Year honors.
If healthy, Hardy will play a major role on a Missouri offense that features a new starting quarterback in Ole Miss transfer Austin Simmons. If he is unavailable for the start of the season, the Tigers will likely turn to Jamal Roberts, a veteran who backed up Hardy last season. In 2025, Roberts ran for 753 yards and six touchdowns.
Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Eli Drinkwitz updates Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy's recovery from shooting
Continue reading...
