The Missouri Tigers have put together a strong start to the 2026 college football season, particularly when you consider they've done it without star running back Ahmad Hardy.
Their fortunes could change for the better on Saturday when they take on Arkansas, though, with the latest Hardy playing news being a positive toward his chances of making an impact.
Mizzou announced at the start of the week that Hardy was returning to practice. Then on Thursday evening, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Hardy "is set to make his season debut this weekend at Arkansas."
Thamel adds: "Hardy is not going to start, but he's expected to get a handful of carries, sources said."
It seems like Missouri will play it safe as Hardy returns and not overwork him. But just the fact that he'll be on the field is big news for Mizzou.
Hardy was shot in his upper leg while attending a concert in Laurel, Mississippi in May.
He needed surgery afterward. Reports indicated that the bullet had struck a bone, which meant that he required emergency surgery.
Thamel described it in his article this week with this sentence: "Hardy has been out since May after dealing with the various injuries from being struck by a bullet in May."
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz was cautious during this season in talking about Hardy's return.
"The whole situation is we're trying to get to a two-week ramp-up period where he could be at least what he was last year, right," Drinkwitz said earlier in October on The Paul Finebaum Show. "So there's a certain set of metrics that you're going to have to be able to do in order to do that. And right now, just with the significance of the injury, it's just taking a while for his body to get back into a place where he can run and move the way he needs to in order to play the game at the highest level, which is to be the best running back in college football."
Drinkwitz added to Finebaum: "We haven't given up hope, but you know, it's just taking a little bit longer than what the hope of our team would be."
The hope finally has arrived, it seems.
Hardy put together an All-American season at Mizzou in 2025. He ran 256 times for 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns.
He had transferred to Missouri for the 2025 season. Hardy first starred at Louisiana-Monroe as a true freshman in 2024 — with 237 runs for 1,351 yards and 13 TDs.
Hardy is the type of workhorse back that you just hand the ball to and watch him work. He may need some building back up to that level, but his return in any form for Missouri is a big boost for the Tigers.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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