Ahmad Hardy’s return appears to be imminent.
Hardy is expected to make his 2026 season debut against Arkansas this coming Saturday, Oct. 31, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a source familiar with the team’s plans confirmed to the Columbia Daily Tribune on Thursday. ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported the news.
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The All-American running back, who set Mizzou’s single-season rushing record last season with 1,649 yards in 13 games, was not listed on Mizzou’s SEC-mandated availability and injury reports on either Wednesday or Thursday night.
The team was seemingly told after practice Thursday to expect Hardy to return.
The question now is what Hardy’s workload looks like as he makes his much-anticipated return after sustaining a gunshot wound to the thigh in May in Laurel, Mississippi. It’s unclear whether he’ll be on a pitch count in his first appearance since last December.
The Tigers (5-2, 2-2 SEC) have primarily used Jamal Roberts, who was Mizzou’s backup last season, in a workhorse role. Roberts has averaged almost 24 carries per game and ranks No. 2 in the SEC with 867 yards this season.
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It would not be a surprise if Roberts continues to be the lead back in the Missouri offense, but the one-two punch that was so successful in 2025 looks set to return this weekend.
Drinkwitz had previously said he needs to see two full weeks of practice before he’d consider playing Hardy in a game.
The coach posted to social media this past Sunday that Hardy would return to practice ahead of the Tigers’ trip to Arkansas, and he said in various media appearances that he looked good in both Monday and Tuesday practices.
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Hardy’s returning quicker than that. He’ll have had one full week of practice before he puts on pads to play Arkansas.
The Tigers appear to have been patient with Hardy’s return. There was some initial optimism from the head coach over the summer that the running back could have returned earlier, placing a timeline that initially indicated that a mid-September return may have been possible.
But, as Drinkwitz has said on several occasions, there isn’t a playbook for rehabbing a gunshot wound back to full health, and Hardy’s return has taken longer.
The wait almost appears to be over.
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On Saturday, Hardy is trending toward featuring — at long last in 2026 — on the football field.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football’s Ahmad Hardy expected to make season debut at Arkansas
