Ahmad Hardy will be unavailable for at least the first week of Mizzou’s 2026 season, and Eli Drinkwitz isn’t ready to put a timetable on anything beyond that.
That much is clear after Drinkwitz said he wants to see Hardy get two full weeks of practice at full speed before the Tigers even think about putting him in a game.
“Does that mean mid-September? I don’t know.
Does it mean mid-October? I don’t know,” [Drinkwitz] said, “I need a two-week fully invested, being able to practice at full speed, before we consider playing him in a game.
And I’m not there yet.”
Hardy’s absence isn’t exactly shocking. He’s still working back from a gunshot wound, and while there was some optimism after he was medically cleared earlier this summer, the next step is actually getting him through real football work. Until that happens, Mizzou is proceeding cautiously.
The good news for Missouri is that Jamal Roberts is back. He’s probably the best backup running back in all of college football, which gives the Tigers a real safety net if Hardy misses time.
Still, Hardy isn’t just any player. He’s an All-American back, and losing someone like that changes the picture.
One missed game is already on the books, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be ready the following week against kansas. A longer stretch away from the field is still very much in play, and it could end up being 4-6 weeks without Hardy.
So the question for Missouri fans is simple: how worried are you? That’s what SB Nation Reacts is asking this week - whether the fan base is feeling nervous about a potentially extended Hardy absence, or staying calm and collected.
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