When the news of Ahmad Hardy being shot early in the morning of May 10 in Mississippi broke, it shook college football. It seemed unlikely, if not impossible, at that time that Missouri fans would have a chance to watch the player that led the country in rushing and broke the school record in 2025 come back for his follow-up performance.
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But with the opening practice of Missouri’s preseason camp just eight days away, there is a sense of growing optimism that the junior running back could see the field at some point this season for the Tigers. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz said on Monday at SEC Media Days that Hardy had been medically cleared following the shooting. On Sunday afternoon at an NIL appearance at the Pierpont General Store outside of Columbia, Hardy spoke publicly for the first time to a handful of reporters in attendance.
“I’ve been waiting on that feeling,” Hardy said. “It’s just another obstacle that I accomplished. Just steady going through things trying my best to get back on the field.”
Drinkwitz said that the bullet struck a bone in Hardy’s leg and it has been widely reported that he had surgery in Mississippi in the hours following the shooting. Nobody is putting a timeline on Hardy’s return to football. Drinkwitz said that he anticipates a full recovery from Hardy, though he doesn’t know what that means for his ability to play again.
“We still don’t know what his recovery will be, or if he’s the same Ahmad Hardy that he was last year,” Drinkwitz said, before adding: “My anticipation, from what I’ve seen, from the way he’s attacked his rehab, he’s going to be a better Ahmad Hardy than he was before.”
“When you’re hurt there’s a lot of obstacles that you go through. I think I’m handling it pretty well and I’m trying my best to get back on the field,” Hardy said. “Whenevee\r that time comes, I’ll be out there.”
While Hardy’s return to football has been secondary to the story, it’s now very much a focus with the start of the season approaching. There’s no question he has gained a sense of perspective over the course of the summer.
“It was a life or death situation what happened to me,” he said. “It just made me more wise and more aware and things like that. Hate that it happened to me, but it made me a better person.”
“I think there’s a youthfulness and a feel of invincibility for all these guys right now, from ages 18-22, and they’re empowered more now than they’ve ever been before, whether that’s financially, influence, or anything else,” Drinkwitz said. “For Ahmad, there was a moment there where he realized he was mortal, and there can be really bad outcomes if you don’t make good decisions consistently.
“He knows his number one responsibility is to be a good father, and then after that, to be a great teammate and do the things he wants to do in order to achieve his things. He’s been exactly what coaching is all about and what college football is all about. It’s about taking young men on a journey from 18 to maturity. It’s a lifelong process.”
Part of that process for Hardy was showing up on Sunday to take part in the event at Pierpont despite a triple digit heat index and the fact that there were going to be people asking him questions he either couldn’t or perhaps didn’t want to answer. According to a source, when told he didn’t have to answer questions, Hardy said “That’s not me.” While he still can’t answer the ultimate question of when he’ll be back wearing No. 29 and carrying the football in a game, Hardy wanted to show his appreciate for a community that has taken him in since his transfer from Louisiana-Monroe following the 2024 season.
“I appreciate everybody’s support wishing me to get back on the field and things like that. Being here since I got shot, my recovery journey, I appreciate them being here,” he said. “I think I done gained like 3-5,000 fans on Instagram. They been coming in, a lot of people been texting me, checking up on me, things like that. I appreciate them for that.”
