Missouri’s fast start has carried on without Ahmad Hardy, and Eli Drinkwitz made it clear Tuesday that nothing has changed yet on the star running back’s status.
The No. 13 Tigers are 5-1 through the first six weeks of the 2026 season, but they have done it without what the source article calls their best player. Hardy has been out all year while recovering from a gunshot wound suffered during the offseason, and Drinkwitz told reporters there is still no fresh timeline for his return.
“I will tell y’all when there is an update,” Drinkwitz said. “Contrary to what is on the cesspool of message boards, uh, there’s no update.
He hasn’t began a 2 week ramp up period. If he practices, I promise that I’ll tweet it out.
I won’t even give it to [ESPN insider] Pete [Thamel]. We’ll just do it ourselves.”
Drinkwitz also took a jab at the online rumor mill while referencing what Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said this past weekend, keeping the moment in line with the head coach’s usual dry humor. His comments came during a week in which he was asked again about Hardy, and again said the same thing: fans and media will hear it when the running back actually gets on the practice field.
That kind of back-and-forth has long fit Drinkwitz’s style, and the article noted the response was especially on brand for the seventh-year head coach. Still, the message beneath the jokes was simple. Hardy remains out, there is no update yet, and Missouri will be the first to announce it when that changes.
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Still, the challenge is bigger than a memory or two from Simmons Ole Miss days. Since transferring to Missouri, he has taken a clear step forward, throwing for 1,434 yards with 14 touchdowns and just one interception. Golding may have an edge from knowing the player, but Ole Miss is also preparing for a quarterback who has grown into a much tougher problem than the one they once knew. [Read more 🡒]