Missouri’s season opener comes with a mostly clean injury report, but two of the Tigers’ biggest names won’t be on the field Thursday night.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz ruled out star running back Ahmad Hardy and left tackle Cayden Green for Missouri’s game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Tigers kick off the new season at 7 p.m. in Columbia, with the game set for SEC Network.
As of Tuesday, those appear to be the only major availability concerns for Mizzou entering Week 1. Freshman wide receiver Jabari Brady is still working back from a hyperextended knee he suffered in camp, so his status remains uncertain. Reserve tight end Gavin Hoffman also dealt with a hamstring issue for much of the preseason, though Drinkwitz said Aug. 23 that he expects Hoffman to be back at full speed soon.
SEC teams will begin releasing official availability and injury reports before their first league games, but that system does not apply to nonconference matchups like Missouri’s opener.
There is also a separate situation worth tracking involving defensive tackle Sterling Webb. He has a 10 a.m.
Wednesday hearing in St. Louis County tied to his eligibility for the 2026 season.
The NCAA has appealed the temporary restraining order Webb received in July, which allowed him to return to Mizzou for a fifth season of eligibility. In a new wrinkle before the hearing, Webb has added the UM System Board of Curators as a defendant to his original TRO request.
If that is granted, he could have another layer of protection against the NCAA and its effort to enforce its updated eligibility rules.
Without Hardy, Missouri’s backfield will turn to Jamal Roberts as the primary tailback. The St.
Louis native is set to lead the group, though he may not need a huge workload against a Golden Lions team that enters as a 53.5-point underdog. Xai’Shaun Edwards and Malae Fonoti should also get meaningful carries.
Hardy’s recovery remains the bigger long-term storyline. He is coming back from an offseason gunshot wound that struck the femur in his left leg.
Drinkwitz has said the bone has fully recovered, but Hardy does not appear to have returned to full practice yet. When asked by the Tribune, Drinkwitz said he would need to see two weeks of full-speed practice from Hardy before he would consider putting the program’s single-season rushing record holder back in a game.
That timeline would have required Hardy to practice by Friday, Aug. 28, if he was going to be in the mix for Missouri’s Week 2 Border War game at Kansas on Friday, Sept. 11, in Lawrence. Hardy was seen around the team at times, but not in pads and not working through full team drills.
On the occasions when media were allowed to watch portions of practice, he was usually arriving from another area of the facility. Missouri has not opened practice to observers since Aug. 19, so it is not clear whether Hardy has practiced since then.
At left tackle, Missouri’s Week 1 depth chart points to Jack Lange as the next man up. Lange, the No. 1 prospect in Missouri in the Class of 2025, is listed as the backup at the position. The Eureka product stands 6 foot 8 and weighs 315 pounds, and he was one of the standouts of fall camp in his second season on campus.
Drinkwitz also mentioned Whit Hafer as another possibility on the offensive line after a strong preseason. The Joplin product has worked at multiple spots along the line since moving over from tight end as a sophomore.
If Webb is unable to go, Missouri’s defensive tackle rotation should still start with Marquis Gracial and Jalen Marshall. Jason Dowell remains expected to be a key part of the two-deep, and the fourth spot in the rotation would likely go to either Miami transfer Donta Simpson Jr. or Northern Illinois transfer Mark Hensley.
In Other News...
Missouri Suddenly Has A Courtroom Problem Before The Season Opener
A few days before Missouri opens the season, Sterling Webb has added a legal wrinkle to the Tigers preparation. The defensive tackle, who is listed on Missouris depth chart and expected to play in the opener, filed a new temporary restraining order against the University of Missouri and its Board of Curators as part of the fight over his eligibility.
The motion is aimed at stopping the school from declaring him ineligible for the 2026-27 season, and it comes with a Wednesday hearing already on the calendar. That same hearing will also address the NCAAs motion to dismiss Webbs original request, leaving Missouri in the middle of a courtroom issue at a moment when the focus is supposed to be on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Just Got Pulled Back Into A Mark Mitchell Twist
Mark Mitchells winding recruitment finally came back around to Missouri after he flipped his commitment from Kentucky, a move that keeps the Tigers in the picture for a player whose path has been anything but straightforward. For Missouri, the appeal is obvious: Mitchell wanted a clearer route to eligibility, and the Tigers were able to offer that while bringing back a talent who had once seemed headed for Lexington.
For Kentucky, the detour is a reminder of how quickly a recruiting battle can change late in the process, especially when eligibility questions enter the equation. Mitchells decision leaves the Wildcats looking elsewhere while Missouri gets the benefit of momentum on the roster-building front, even if the full ripple effect of the switch will play out over time. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Mitchell Could Give Mizzou A Huge Boost If One Thing Breaks Right
Missouris offseason picture got a little brighter with the reported arrival of Mark Mitchell, a familiar name in a transfer market that has reshaped plenty of rosters around the country. After backing off his previous commitment to Kentucky, Mitchell is now being viewed as a potential boost for the Tigers, the kind of addition that can change the look of a rotation and give the program another proven piece as it keeps sorting out its roster.
The catch is simple, and it matters. Mitchell is pursuing a fifth year of eligibility, but that part of the process is still not confirmed, which leaves the situation in a holding pattern even as the fit in Columbia makes plenty of sense on paper. For Missouri, it is the sort of development worth watching closely, because if the final piece falls into place, the Tigers could have a meaningful upgrade before the season picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]