Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy medically cleared from gunshot wound, but return still TBD

Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy is medically cleared from a gunshot wound to the leg, but coach Eli Drinkwitz said Monday that a timetable for Hardy’s return remains uncertain.

Hardy was shot in the upper leg at a May 10 concert in Mississippi.

Hardy is “on the road to recovery” and is fully healed from the bullet that struck a bone in his leg, Drinkwitz said, via Andrea Adelson of ESPN. The return-to-play protocol could be 5-8 weeks.

“We still don’t know what his recovery will be,” Drinkwitz said at SEC media days. “Is he the same Ahmad Hardy that was last year? My anticipation and what I’ve seen, the way he’s attacked his rehab: He’s going to be a better Ahmad Hardy than what he was before.”

Hardy transferred to Missouri from UL Monroe in 2025 after rushing for 1,351 yards in 2024. In his first year at Missouri, he ranked second among FBS players with 1,649 rushing yards and earned first-team All-America honors and SEC Newcomer of the Year. Hardy also scored 16 touchdowns and averaged 6.4 yards on his 256 rushing attempts to become a Doak Walker Award finalist.