Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy Returns After 6 Months
The running back took the field for the first time since being shot at a concert in Mississippi in May.
By Tariq Carter ·
Ahmad Hardy ran onto the field for the No. 23 Missouri Tigers on Saturday night at Arkansas. This marked his first time playing nearly six months after a shooting incident in his home state of Mississippi.
The 20-year-old entered the game late in the first quarter. The Missouri section of the crowd gave him an ovation as he stepped onto the turf.
Hardy was a bystander at an outdoor concert in Laurel, Mississippi, when he was shot in the leg on May 10. Local police have arrested a suspect who faces two felony counts of aggravated assault for the attack.
Details about the full scope of his injuries have remained limited. Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz stated this week that Hardy required surgery to have a metal rod inserted into his femur. That is the large bone in the upper part of the leg.
During Hardy's absence, senior Jamal Roberts has carried the rushing load for the Tigers. Roberts enters this matchup with 867 yards and eight touchdowns. He leads the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards per game at 123.9.
Hardy was a key factor in the Tigers' 31-17 victory over Arkansas last November. In that previous meeting, he rushed 27 times for 157 yards and scored a touchdown. That performance ranked as his third-best of the 2025 season.
Source: WKMG-TV
