Missouri RB Hardy won't be ready for season opener, sources said - ESPN

Missouri star running back Ahmad Hardy will not be available to start the season, sources told ESPN on Saturday, as he still hasn't practiced for the Tigers.

The target for his return is mid-September, according to sources, as he continues to rehab and recover from a gunshot wound to the leg.

Hardy entered the season as one of the most accomplished players in the sport and among the best in the SEC. He earned first-team All-American honors last year and finished No. 2 in the nation in rushing.

Missouri opens the season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sept. 3 and plays at Kansas on Sept. 11, a game Hardy appears likely to miss. Missouri plays Tory on Sept. 19 and then has its first league game at Mississippi State on Sept. 26.

Hardy transferred to Missouri from Louisiana Monroe for the 2025 season and became one of the breakthrough players in the SEC, leading the league in rushing yards (1,649) and yards per attempt (6.4).

Hardy suffered a gunshot wound at a concert in Mississippi in May. He immediately had surgery, and Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz has been judicious with his updates on Hardy's status since then.

At SEC Media Days in July, Drinkwitz said that Hardy was «medically cleared» but still needed to work his way back.

Redshirt junior Jamal Roberts is expected to receive a bulk of the carries for Missouri. He's an accomplished back who has rushed for 968 career yards and averages 5.4 yards per carry in his career.