All-American running back Ahmad Hardy is back practicing with No. 23 Missouri, a wild near six months after he was shot in the leg. It’s an incredible sight for Tigers fans, but don’t get too hyped for a return to game action just yet. Coach Eli Drinkwitz was super clear Tuesday, even though Hardy was a full participant in practice the previous day, a timeline for actually playing is still a huge question mark. Drinkwitz said they always figured he’d need two weeks just to get back into football shape, but this isn’t your average injury.
This Isn’t Your Average Injury, Folks
Drinkwitz didn’t pull any punches when talking about what Hardy is facing. “There’s never been anybody that we’ve experienced have to go through this,” he said. He’s not putting an artificial timeline out there because it just creates false hope and disappointment. And honestly, who can blame him? Hardy was shot in the leg as a bystander outside a concert back in early May in Mississippi. Police arrested Rashodrick Harris and charged him with two felony counts of aggravated assault. The details of the injury are brutal: Hardy needed a metal rod inserted in his femur, that big bone in the upper part of the leg. Drinkwitz described it as “a lot more challenging than maybe a hamstring or an ACL injury.” He’s talking about the “invasive nature of the recovery based off the bullet entry and the surgery that occurred,” and how everything has to go perfectly for him to get back to playing at a high level. They’re monitoring bone healing, the wound itself, and how his body is even responding to having a rod in his femur. “There’s not an X-ray that tells you he’s ready to go,” Drinkwitz emphasized. That’s a lot to process, and it really puts into perspective how monumental this comeback even to practice is.
How Mizzou Has Fared and What’s Ahead
Hardy’s absence has been a massive challenge for the Tigers. Last year, after transferring from Louisiana-Monroe, he was an absolute beast, leading the nation with an insane 1,649 yards rushing and setting a school record with 16 touchdowns. Against Mississippi State, he went off for 300 yards and three TDs, which was the third-highest rushing total in SEC history. But without him, No. 23 Missouri (5-2, 2-2 SEC) has had to adapt. They’ve found a gem in Jamal Roberts, who backed Hardy up last year and has totally flourished in the lead role. Roberts is currently ranked seventh in the Bowl Subdivision with 867 rushing yards, and his eight touchdown runs put him just outside the national top 10. The Tigers were even staking a claim for a College Football Playoff spot until they got smacked with a 31-3 loss at No. 12 Mississippi. They were off last week to regroup, and now they’ve got a tough stretch coming up.
Missouri is set to play rival Arkansas this Saturday. After that, things get wild with games against No. 11 Texas, third-ranked Georgia, and No. 9 Kentucky, all bookended by Arkansas and then Oklahoma. It’s a brutal schedule. While it’s incredible to see Ahmad Hardy back on the practice field, nobody knows when he’ll be able to hit the gridiron in a game again. For now, the Tigers will lean on Roberts and hope Hardy’s journey back continues on a positive, albeit slow, path.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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