When Texas goes to Columbia in Week 9, the name that looms largest for Missouri is Ahmad Hardy.
The Tigers’ running back is coming off an All-American season and, if all goes according to plan, he should be available when the Longhorns arrive at Faurot Field. Hardy, who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, piled up 1,649 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns last season to establish himself as the centerpiece of Missouri’s offense.
His availability had been in question after he was injured in a shooting at a concert in his hometown of Laurel, Miss. in May. But Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz said Hardy has been cleared and is moving back toward full recovery.
"Ahmad has been medically cleared from the bullet that struck him and he is on the road to recovery," said Tigers' head coach Eliah Drinkwitz. "The bullet did strike a bone in his body and that has been healed.
Today was his first day back towards a full recovery. We anticipate he will make a full recovery.
What that recovery will look like is still TBD. We don't know what the return to play progression is because there's not a ton of precedent.
We anticipate the return to play protocol could take between 5-8 weeks and we don't know what he'll look like as far as being the same play. My anticipation from what I've seen is he'll be a better Ahmad Hardy."
Hardy has already seen Texas once before. As a freshman at Louisiana-Monroe in 2024, he carried 10 times for 30 yards in the Longhorns’ 51-3 win over the Warhawks. He finished that first college season with 1,351 rushing yards before transferring to Missouri ahead of the 2025 season.
Drinkwitz also pointed to Missouri’s backfield depth, saying Hardy and Jamal Roberts form the top running back pairing in the country.
"I believe our two backs in Ahmad and Jamal [Roberts] are the two running back duo in the nation," Drinkwitz said.
Roberts, who is 6-foot and 212 pounds, rushed for more than 700 yards last season while working behind Hardy.
Even with Hardy’s production, Missouri has had some trouble when the competition steps up. In games against Oklahoma, Alabama, Auburn, Virginia and Vanderbilt, Hardy totaled 353 yards on 88 carries, and Missouri went 1-4 in those matchups. Last season, the Tigers also went 0-for-5 against ranked opponents.
Missouri’s other major offensive storyline is at quarterback, where former Ole Miss starter Austin Simmons has arrived looking for a fresh start. Simmons, a 247Sports four-star transfer portal prospect, has already been named the starter by Drinkwitz.
"I think the best thing about Austin is his communication skills. He can communicate at a high level about what he's seeing, what he understands, how routes are similar to what he's done in the past that he really liked," Drinkwitz said. "That's accelerated the growth between Coach [Chip] Lindsey, Coach [Garrett] Riley and what we're doing."
Simmons threw for 755 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games, including two starts, last season before losing his starting job because of an injury.
Drinkwitz said Missouri’s offensive flexibility should help Simmons settle in quickly.
"The thing that has been really cool to watch on the offensive side of the ball, we have a lot of flexibility in scheme," Drinkwitz said. "It's about we can take this concept and this concept and marry it to what Austin really likes."
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