Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz confirmed Saturday, Aug. 22, that All-American running back Ahmad Hardy won’t be ready for the start of the season as he recovers from a gunshot wound to his upper leg.

Hardy, who led the SEC with 1,649 rushing yards last season, was medically cleared in July but has yet to return to practice. The Tigers open their season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday, Sept. 3.

“Ahmad is working his rear-end off,” Drinkwitz told reporters. “He’s doing everything we can ask him to do, but just not going to be able to be ready for that first game.”

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Missouri is targeting a mid-September return for Hardy, who was voted a preseason first-team All-American by USA TODAY. Drinkwitz said he’s still unsure of Hardy’s timeline for return, however.

“I’m targeting as soon as possible,” Drinkwitz said. “We needed a full two-week ramp up, period, of practice before we allowed him to play a game, and that timeframe has passed. Does that mean mid-September? I don’t know. Does it mean mid-October? I don’t know. I need a two-week, fully invested, being able to practice at full speed before we consider playing him in a game, and I’m not there yet.”

Drinkwitz originally said at SEC Media Days on July 20 that Hardy was looking at a return-to-play protocol over five to eight weeks after being medically cleared. That timetable would line up with a potential mid-September return.

Hardy already has 3,000 career rushing yards with 29 touchdowns in two college seasons (including rushing for 1,351 yards as a true freshman at Louisiana-Monroe in 2024). Jamal Roberts will handle the bulk of the workload in Hardy’s absence after totaling 894 yards and seven touchdowns of offense last season.