Ahmad Hardy cleared medically, return timeline still in question

For more than two months, Mizzou fans and college football fans across the country have waited to hear a return timeline for All-American running back Ahmad Hardy. Mizzou coach Eliah Drinkwitz announced Monday that while Hardy has been medically cleared, there is still no return timeline. “Ahmad has been medically cleared from the bullet that struck him and he is on the road to recovery,” Drinkwitz said. “The bullet did strike a bone in his body and that has been fully healed and cleared. And today was his first day back toward a full recovery. “We anticipate that he will make a recovery. What that recovery will look like after having a bullet strike you is still to be determined. We do not know exactly what the return-to-play progression is because there’s not a lot of literature and data on this. But we are utilizing our medical team along with our athletic performance team and nutrition, to approach this at a very good pace. We do anticipate that this return-to-play protocol will take anywhere from 5-to-8 weeks. And at the end of the eight weeks, we still don’t know what his recovery will be from a, 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 he was before.” Hardy joined the Tigers out of Louisiana-Monroe and instantly became arguably the best running back in the country. In his true sophomore season, Hardy ran for a school record 1,649 yards while reaching the end zone 16 times. “This was a great opportunity for Ahmad to learn. And it was a great opportunity for our student-athletes to learn,” Drinkwitz said. “And it was also a great reminder that there is no place for gun violence in this world.” Expectations were sky high for him when the portal passed and he remained at Mizzou for a second, and likely final, college season. But a stray bullet at a concert in Mississippi grounded them. If Hardy has to miss time In any Hardy absence, Mizzou will turn to Jamal Roberts. Roberts performed well as a redshirt sophomore last season in a backup role. The backup produced 753 yards and six touchdowns on 124 carries. Which placed him 10th in the SEC in rushing yards and eighth among running backs in the conference. Mizzou made a couple of transfer portal additions to the running back room. The most interesting at this point is FCS Freshman All-American Xai’Shaun Edwards from Houston Christian. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound back rushed for 1,019 yards and 12 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman last season. The Tigers also added Malae Fonoti, who served in a backup role for two seasons at Montana. They brought in two freshmen in three-star Max Warner and three-star Preston Hatfield in the Class of 2026.