Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy will not play in the Tigers’ first game of the 2026 season.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in July that Hardy has been medically cleared to return after being shot in the upper leg in May, but Hardy has not practiced yet and Drinkwitz said on Saturday that the team doesn’t “have a timetable on” when he will be on the field. Missouri opens their season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on September 3.
“It’s up to his body and his response, and I know he’s doing everything he can,” Drinkwitz said, via Pete Thamel of ESPN.com. “[I] feel like, right now, it’s in his best interest to hold off.”
Hardy led the SEC in rushing yards last year and moved to the top of the list of 2027 draft prospects, but the uncertainty about his return has clouded that outlook ahead of this season.
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