Eli Drinkwitz provides update for star RB Ahmad Hardy: ‘Still working back’
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Eli Drinkwitz gave a message of hope but also dipped in reality when it comes to his star running back, Ahmad Hardy.
The Mizzou head coach was at a “Zou to You” fan event on Sunday in Overland Park, Kan., and not surprisingly the serious question about Hardy’s progression from a gunshot wound injury he sustained a month ago in Mississippi was asked.
Drinkwitz had his answer ready, and it was a mixed bag for Mizzou fans who want to know if Hardy will be part of the Tigers’ plans for this fall. The coach said that Hardy is “progressing well” but also that he is “still working back.”
“He’s not fully acclimated back to weight-bearing yet, but progressing well,” Eli Drinkwitz said. “Great energy. Biggest thing for us right now is holding him back. He wants to progress faster than what the doctors want.”
The gunshot wound occurred when Hardy was attending a rap concert in May. Hardy returned to Columbia and has been rehabbing in preparation to be on the field for the 2026 season.
“So, little by little, a little becomes a lot,” Drinkwitz said on Sunday. “But we aren’t quite where we want to be yet.”
In prior updates on Hardy, Drinkwitz has said that he would know more about Hardy’s football status by the time fall camp starts. Fall camp will begin not long after SEC Media Days, which kick off on July 20. That’s just over a month away, which means fall camp is right around the corner, which also means Drinkwitz should know a lot more very soon about Hardy’s status for the upcoming season.
Hardy was named a consensus All-American for the 2025 season, when he rushed for 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Having Hardy back in the fold for the 2026 season would obviously be a huge help for Mizzou in its quest to be relevant in the SEC title chase. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about the odds for the Tigers and the other SEC teams to be the one holding that conference championship trophy in December:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
