Running Back Ahmad Hardy to Miss Start of Season, Targets a Mid-September Return

Hardy's status was updated Saturday evening.

Sep 6, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy (29) evades a defender during a touchdown run against the Kansas Jayhawks at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI

Ahmad Hardy is unavailable for the start of the season and the target for his return is "mid-September" per ESPN's college football senior writer Pete Thamel. Hardy has not practiced since recovering from an offseason gun shot wound, but is continuing rehab and recovery treatment.

The relatively broad timeline includes multiple games throughout September as Hardy's potential return. The schedule consists of the season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sept. 3, a highly-anticipated game against rival Kansas on Sept. 11, a contest against Troy on Sept. 19 and its SEC opener against Mississippi State on Sept. 26.

The last update head coach Eli Drinkwitz provided was on Aug. 15, where he said that Hardy would meet with doctors and have an evaluation on Saturday. Drinkwitz will speak with the media Saturday night.

"He's still just able to get in the walk through stuff, but he's progressing in the weight room and in his speed training," Drinkwitz said on Aug. 15.

Missouri's backup running back Jamal Roberts should be expected to take a majority of Hardy's snaps during his recovery. Roberts ran for 753 yards last year, which ranked No. 11 in the SEC. The relationship between the two running backs is strong and the two have learned from each other even without Hardy on the field.

"Me and Ahmad coach each other up all the time," Roberts said on July 20 during SEC Media Days. "He (coaches) me up right now. I thought he was coaching me up doing just summer workouts. And we give each other pointers... we really come as one."

While Roberts was excelling last season as the 1B option for the Tigers, Hardy was dominating as well and setting records. He led the SEC with a program-high 1,649 rushing yards last season accompanied by 16 scores.

As Hardy continues to recover, other running backs alongside Roberts that could make an immediate impact are Malae Fonoti and Xai'Shaun Edwards.

The Houston Christian junior transfer Xai'Shaun Edwards ran for 1,061 yards last season and added 12 touchdowns. Fonoti is a junior transfer from Montana that recorded 184 rushing yards and four touchdowns last season.

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