Missouri will open the season without Ahmad Hardy, and Eli Drinkwitz isn’t putting a firm date on the star running back’s return.
Before Drinkwitz spoke Saturday night, ESPN college football senior writer Pete Thamel reported that Hardy would miss the start of the season, with “mid-September” listed as the target for his comeback. Drinkwitz later confirmed Hardy will sit out Week 1, but stopped short of backing that timetable.
"I'm targeting as soon as possible. I just know that right now we needed a full two-week ramp up period of practice before we would have allowed him to play in the game and that time frame has passed," Drinkwitz said.
"So does that mean mid-September? I don't know.
Does it mean mid-October? I don't know.
I need a two-week, fully invested, being able to practice at full speed (sample) before we would consider playing him in game and I'm not there yet."
Hardy is working back from the gun shot wound he suffered at a concert on May 10. Drinkwitz said during SEC Media Days that Hardy had been medically cleared, which opened the door to rehab work, though practice remained out of reach.
"Ahmad is working his rear end off. He's doing everything we can ask him to do, but just not going to be able to be ready for that first game," Drinkwitz said.
"We're going to do the very best by him and his team and our medical team. (I) Just feel like right now it's in his best interest to hold off."
Drinkwitz said Missouri is putting Hardy’s health and safety first as the Tigers ease him back.
"People are trying to hit you at full speed, especially when you carry the ball and so until he's back to what he needs to be and protect himself, we have to do the best that we can," Drinkwitz said.
The production Hardy leaves behind is no small thing. He led the SEC with a program-high 1,649 rushing yards last season and scored 16 touchdowns, earning first-team All American and first team All-SEC recognition.
That means Jamal Roberts is positioned for a bigger role while Hardy is sidelined. Roberts, who backed up Hardy and ranked No. 11 in the SEC with 753 rushing yards in 2025, should see more carries.
"Jamal's been phenomenal," Drinkwitz said. "(He) was voted a captain by his teammates yesterday and I think he's responding the right way to that."
Drinkwitz also addressed four other Tigers and sounded optimistic that all of them will be healthy or close to it by Week 1.
Wide receiver Jabari Brady, who was helped off the field Wednesday after landing awkwardly on his leg, got a reassuring update. Drinkwitz said Brady hyperextended his knee and picked up a bone bruise, but is already back in rehab.
"Jabari hyperextended his knee, had a little bit of a bone bruise, (but) he's back recovering in rehab," Drinkwitz said. "I don't know if it'll be Monday, but I anticipate by the end of the week he'll be back in."
On the defensive line, sophomore tackle Donta Simpson appears ready to roll. Drinkwitz said Simpson dealt with a medical condition that kept him from practicing until about August 11, then moved through return-to-play protocol.
"Donta Simpson had a medical condition that prevented him from practicing until about August 11 and then he was in the return to play protocol," Drinkwitz said. "He's been fully cleared, he's ready to go (and) he took every rep tonight that he was supposed to take."
Freshman offensive lineman Braylon Ellison is also trending in the right direction after an injury on the first Wednesday of camp.
"Braylon Ellison had an injury on the first Wednesday, but his rehab's going well. I don't know if he'll be back this week, but I anticipate by the first game he will be close," Drinkwitz said.
Tight end Gavin Hoffman is expected back even sooner. Drinkwitz said Hoffman has dealt with a Grade 1 hamstring strain and should return Monday.
In Other News...
Mizzou Camp Ends With Two Rising Tigers Demanding Attention
Mizzou wrapped up its 2026 fall camp with a scrimmage at Faurot Stadium, then sent Eli Drinkwitz, Donovan Olugbode and Chris Graves Jr. to the podium as the Tigers shifted from August work to game-week preparation. With Arkansas-Pine Bluff up first on Sept. 3, the final day of camp offered a snapshot of where the roster is settling in and which young players are starting to force their way into the conversation.
Olugbode spent his time talking through the growth in his receiving game, while Graves centered his remarks on man-to-man coverage and the kind of communication demanded in the secondary. For a team still sorting out roles before the opener, those are the sorts of details that matter in camp, and both players left the impression that they are pressing for more attention as the Tigers turn toward the season. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Already Faces A Big Ahmad Hardy Concern For Early Season
Missouri enters the 2026-27 season already knowing it will be without one of its most important newcomers for the opening stretch, as Ahmad Hardy continues recovering from a gunshot wound to his upper leg suffered in May. Hardy has not practiced with the Tigers yet, and the team is aiming for a mid-September return while it waits to see how his recovery progresses.
For a roster trying to get settled early, the absence matters because Hardys status lines up with the start of the SEC schedule and the kind of physical games that can define a season. Missouri still has no clear timeline for when he will be ready to handle that step up in competition, leaving his availability as one of the more important early questions facing the program. [Read more 🡒]
Drinkwitz Addresses Mizzou Injury Concerns As Opener Nears
Missouri is working through the final stretch of camp with a few injury concerns still worth watching after Eli Drinkwitz updated the status of several players following the Tigers second scrimmage. Tight end Gavin Hoffman is dealing with a grade one hamstring strain, wide receiver Jabari Brady has a hyperextended knee and bone bruise, and offensive lineman Braylon Ellison is also sidelined with an unspecified injury, though all three are expected to be back soon.
There was better news on the defensive side, where Donta Simpson has returned to full practice after a medical condition earlier in camp. With the opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff approaching, Missouri is trying to balance the usual August wear and tear with keeping its depth intact, and the next few days should offer a clearer picture of which pieces are ready to go when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]