Missouri’s Week 7 trip to No. 9 Ole Miss arrives with the Tigers sitting at No. 13 in the country, but they still won’t have Ahmad Hardy available. The star running back remains sidelined as he continues to recover from an offseason upper-leg gunshot wound, and head coach Eli Drinkwitz said Tuesday there is still nothing new to report.
Drinkwitz said Hardy has not yet started the two-week ramp-up period that would be required before he can return to the field.
"I answered that question last week and I tried to say the same thing. I really don't want to have to answer that question every week and I will tell y'all when there's an update," Drinkwitz said.
"Contrary to what's on the cesspool of message boards, there's no update. He hasn't began a two-week ramp up period."
Drinkwitz also made clear how he plans to handle any future progress on Hardy.
"If he practices, I promise I'll tweet it out," Drinkwitz said. "I know everybody's excited about where we're at and all that good stuff... when he's available, I promise you, we'll be excited to use him. But that's not the story right now."
For now, Missouri’s story is being written by a complete team effort that has powered dominant wins over No. 8 Florida and Texas A&M over the last two weeks. Those victories have come with strong play across the board, from Austin Simmons’ standout year to a run defense that has tightened up to Jamal Roberts’ surge at running back.
Roberts has turned into one of the biggest reasons the Tigers have kept rolling. After backing up Hardy in 2025 and finishing with 124 carries, 753 yards and six touchdowns, the senior has already blown past those totals in six weeks this season. He’s up to 147 carries, 828 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
In Missouri’s two statement wins, Roberts piled up 433 yards and five touchdowns. That stretch made him the first Missouri running back since 2000 to post back-to-back games with at least 200 rushing yards.
Hardy would obviously give Missouri another weapon if he gets through the ramp-up process and is cleared, but right now the Tigers are moving ahead with Roberts carrying the load.
In Other News...
Mizzou Fans Have Been Waiting For This Johnnie Jones Update
Freshman offensive tackle Johnnie DJ Jones is still at the center of a wave of support from the Missouri football community after undergoing a heart transplant just two weeks after being told he needed a new heart. Since the news surfaced, Mizzou and head coach Eli Drinkwitz have publicly backed Jones and his family, and the broader college football world has responded with fundraising efforts and messages of encouragement.
Jones is now recovering and receiving treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, as the focus shifts from the urgency of the transplant to what comes next. For Missouri fans, the update is the one they had been hoping for, even as the long road ahead remains very much in view. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Just Watched Texas A&Ms Frustration Spill Into Something Bigger
Texas A&Ms 27-6 loss to Missouri left the Aggies sitting at 3-3, and the disappointment carried well beyond the final whistle. What might have stayed a routine postgame reaction instead turned into a broader conversation about frustration around the program, with head coach Jimbo Fisher Elko taking aim at a segment of the online crowd and describing it as a cesspool while trying to separate those critics from the wider fan base.
Billy Liucci, the co-owner of TexAgs, was among those who pushed back, calling the remarks ridiculously tone deaf. For Missouri, the game itself was the cleanest statement, but the aftermath showed just how quickly a loss can open the door to a larger mess when a program is already feeling the pressure. [Read more 🡒]
LaNorris Sellers Just Gave South Carolina Real SEC Momentum
The SECs Week 6 honors list offered another reminder of how wide open the league has felt early this season, with South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers sharing Co-Offensive Player of the Week recognition after a performance that has helped shift the conversation around the Gamecocks. For Missouri fans watching the conference race, it is the kind of weekly update that matters because South Carolina keeps showing it can stay in the mix when the games get tougher and the margin for error gets smaller.
Sellers recognition landed alongside a crowded award slate that also included Jamal Roberts on offense, Peyton Bowen on defense and a handful of other standouts across the conference, underscoring just how many teams are producing difference-makers right now. For Missouri, the bigger takeaway is less about the trophy shelf and more about what it says about the teams standing in the way: South Carolina has enough momentum to keep making noise, and that only raises the stakes the next time these programs end up on the same stage. [Read more 🡒]