Missouri’s first week of training camp will begin without Ahmad Hardy on the practice field, even though the Tigers are already getting players reported and ready for the preseason grind.
Eli Drinkwitz said Sunday at Memorial Stadium that the star running back “will not be a participant in practice this week,” while stressing that Hardy’s overall status has not shifted much since the coach’s update at SEC Media Days last month.
“But he will be a participant in rehab and walkthroughs as we continue just to get him acclimated back to what it would take to play football,” Drinkwitz said.
The timeline Drinkwitz laid out at SEC Media Days on July 20 still frames the situation. At that point, he said Hardy had been cleared to resume football activities and gave a tentative 5-8 week window for him to enter a return-to-play protocol.
Hardy’s recovery has been tied to the gunshot wound he suffered in his upper leg on May 10 while leaving a concert outside Kamikazy Biker Club in Laurel, Mississippi. The bullet struck his femur, and he underwent surgery. Drinkwitz said the bone has fully recovered and that the current expectation is for the tailback to play in 2026.
So while Hardy is expected around the team, Missouri is not rushing him into full-speed work. Drinkwitz said Hardy may be present when the Tigers open camp Monday, but he will not go through the full set of drills.
That fits the broader plan for Missouri’s first week, which includes six practices over the next seven days. The Tigers’ opener is Sept. 3 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 32 days away as of Sunday’s update.
If Hardy lands on the quicker end of Drinkwitz’s return-to-play estimate, he could be in position for that game. If the slower end proves more accurate, the more realistic target moves to Missouri’s SEC opener at Mississippi State on Sept. 26.
“I think maybe in two weeks,” Drinkwitz said Sunday, “there may be another update on where everything is at.”
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