Ahmad Hardy still hasn’t gotten back onto the practice field, and that leaves Missouri waiting on its star running back as the Tigers get ready for Friday night’s rivalry game at Kansas.
On Tuesday, head coach Eli Drinkwitz made it clear there hasn’t been any change in Hardy’s status.
"Nothing's changed on Ahmad, as far as his availability," Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said Tuesday. "Hasn't returned to practice. Still working on his rehab protocol."
Hardy has been sidelined through fall camp and has not taken part in full football activities. Instead, he has continued rehabbing with trainers and Mizzou’s medical staff after suffering a gunshot wound in May. He was medically cleared in mid-July to begin the return-to-football phase of that recovery.
Drinkwitz said earlier that he wanted Hardy to complete two full weeks of practice before the staff would feel comfortable evaluating him for live game action. That timeline still hasn’t started.
Missouri opened the season last Thursday with a 54-14 win over FCS Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Faurot Field, and Hardy was on the sideline in street clothes before and during the game. In his place, Jamal Roberts handled the backfield load, rushing for 47 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
Before that opener, Drinkwitz spoke on SEC Network’s "SEC Now" about Hardy’s rehab process and the uncertainty around it.
"Little by little, he's working his way back," Drinkwitz said of Hardy on SEC Network's "SEC Now" before Mizzou's season-opener. "There's not a ton of literature on this particular return-to-play protocol, so we're having to build the plane as we're flying it.
"He's had a really good week of rehab. His speeds are increasing each week, as is his running progression.
But it's just a matter of making sure he's as strong as he needs to be to play at this level. We're talking, if you're missing two or three miles per hour, that's a big difference.
"So we're trying to make sure that little by little we get him back, and when he is back, he's the same Ahmad Hardy."
That would be a major lift for Missouri. Hardy was an All-American last season after rushing for 1,649 yards, which set a single-season program record, and 16 touchdowns.
Until he’s ready, the Tigers will keep leaning on Roberts. The back ran for 753 yards and six touchdowns a year ago and now steps into the RB1 role, with FCS transfers Malae Fonoti and Xai'Shaun Edwards behind him.
Drinkwitz had plenty of praise for Roberts on "SEC Now," saying:
"Jamal has been awesome," Drinkwitz said on "SEC Now," adding: "He was just elected captain of our team by his peers, which tells you everything you need to know about his work ethic and dedication to our team and the brotherhood. Really impressed with him. He's taking everything in stride.
"He's done a really good job, honestly, trying to develop Malae and Xai'Shaun behind him knowing that he's going to need those guys to come in and help us. You see these highlights being played right now, this young man is a really special talent.
"We're very fortunate that he's at the University of Missouri. He had plenty of opportunities to do something different, whether it was during his initial recruitment or in the transfer portal, but he's leaving a legacy here that's really special."
Missouri, now 1-0, heads to Lawrence on Friday night to face Kansas, also 1-0, in the Border War Showdown at 7 p.m. CT on FOX. It will be the 122nd meeting between the programs and Missouri’s first trip to Lawrence since 2005.
The Tigers lead the series 58-54-9 and beat Kansas 42-31 in last year’s matchup in Columbia.
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Missouri Heads To Kansas With More Than Rivalry Bragging Rights
Kansas and No. 23 Missouri will renew their historic football rivalry in Lawrence, giving the matchup a little extra edge beyond the usual early-season measuring stick. Both teams arrive off opening-week wins, and coaches Lance Leipold and Eli Drinkwitz have each framed the game through the lens of preparation, poise and what this rivalry still means in a landscape where so few old border battles remain on the calendar.
For Missouri, there is also the practical matter of getting healthier up front, with left tackle Cayden Green possibly back from injury for the trip. The long pause in the series only adds to the stakes, because unless the teams cross paths in the College Football Playoff, they will not see each other again until the 2031 and 2032 seasons, making this one of those rare games where history, timing and timing again all seem to matter at once. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Faces A Border War Test That Could Swing On One Matchup
The Border War is back on the calendar, and Missouri heads into David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium knowing this one has the feel of more than just an early-season measuring stick. Kansas brings an offense shaped by coordinator Andy Kotelnicki that has been built to push the pace and stress defenses, while the Tigers are preparing for the kind of game where one clean matchup or one busted assignment can change the tone fast. Add in the rivalry history and the buzz around both young quarterbacks, and the setup is exactly what you would expect when these two get together.
For Missouri, the challenge is not simply matching intensity but handling the swings that come with a game like this on the road. The atmosphere should be lively, the stakes feel bigger than a normal nonconference date, and Foxs broadcast slot only adds to the spotlight. The quarterback play on both sides is part of what makes it intriguing, but the real question is whether Missouri can manage the one area that could tilt everything before the night is over. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Suddenly Has A Running Back Problem At The Worst Time
Missouris backfield was already thin, and now it has been hit hard before the season has really had a chance to settle in. Running back Malae Fonoti is done for the year after suffering a non-contact ACL tear in the season opener, and head coach Eli Drinkwitz said Fonoti will undergo surgery. It is the kind of early setback that can ripple through an offense quickly, especially for a team trying to establish depth behind its top options.
The concern does not stop there, either. Backup Ahmad Hardy remains unavailable while he recovers from a gunshot wound, which leaves Xai'Shaun Edwards in line as the likely No. 2 back behind Jamal Roberts. For Missouri, that makes every snap in the run game feel a little more fragile, and it puts added pressure on the players still standing to absorb a workload the Tigers were not planning on this soon. [Read more 🡒]