Missouri’s star running back Ahmad Hardy will miss the season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on September 3, a gut punch for the Tigers right out of the gate. The SEC’s leading rusher from last season is still trying to get back on the field after being shot in the upper leg at a concert back in May, and it sounds like this recovery is anything but easy.
“Working His Rear End Off” But Still Not Cleared
Coach Eli Drinkwitz laid it all out Saturday night: Hardy simply hasn’t progressed enough to be ready. He’s been grinding through rehab during fall camp, but he hasn’t even hit the practice field yet. “Ahmad is working his rear end off,” Drinkwitz said, clearly acknowledging the effort. “He’s doing everything we can ask him to do, but (he’s) just not going to be able to be ready for that first game.” That’s a tough pill to swallow for everyone, especially when you consider what Hardy brings to the field. Remember back in July, when Drinkwitz announced Hardy was “medically cleared”? Turns out, that only meant he could start the *next phase* of rehabilitation, not strap on a helmet and pads. The return-to-football process was pegged at five to eight weeks then, and while Saturday marked five weeks since that began, the most critical step, that full-speed practice, hasn’t even started.
The Huge Hole Left by a Missing Superstar
The clock is ticking, and the path back is clear but unstarted: Hardy needs two full weeks of practice at full speed before the Tigers would even consider putting him in a game. Drinkwitz’s honest assessment of the timeline is telling: “Does that mean mid-September? I don’t know. Does it mean mid-October? I don’t know.” The bullet striking a bone in his upper leg has seriously complicated things, requiring emergency surgery and pushing his return further into the season. You can feel the frustration, the uncertainty, in the coach’s words. This isn’t just any player missing time. Hardy was one of the nation’s best last season, racking up an insane 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was a consensus All-American and a Doak Walker Award finalist, not to mention the SEC’s leading rusher. Losing that kind of production is a massive problem for any team.
While Hardy is sidelined, senior Jamal Roberts is stepping up as the primary running back. Roberts isn’t a slouch, with 753 yards and six touchdowns last season, averaging 5.5 yards per carry over his three years. Plus, transfers Xai’Shaun Edwards and Malae Fonoti are in the running back room. But let’s be real, a player like Hardy, who averaged 6.0 yards per carry in his career, leaves a canyon-sized hole that’s tough to fill. Both Roberts and Hardy posted an identical 11.3% explosive-run rate last season, so Roberts can absolutely pop off, but the sheer volume and game-breaking ability of Hardy is irreplaceable.
The Tigers open against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, then head to Kansas on September 11, and host Troy on September 19 before diving into SEC play at Mississippi State on September 26. The wait for Ahmad Hardy continues, and until he gets those two full weeks of practice under his belt, it’s anyone’s guess when we’ll see Missouri’s superstar back on the field. That Mississippi State game looms large, and every week without Hardy is a big deal.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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