This week has brought the biggest figures in the SEC together as the league hosts their annual Spring Meetings. As Greg Sankey along with the SEC AD's and head coaches all gather in Florida, a ton of news that will shape the upcoming college football and basketball seasons will emerge. One of the first head coaches to speak to the media was Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz.
The Missouri Tigers are coming off an 8-5 season where they went 4-4 in league play, but had quarterback Beau Pribula not suffered a serious injury, the team could've posted a much better record. One of the biggest reasons for the Tigers success was transfer running back Ahmad Hardy who was a consensus All-American.
After transferring in from UL Monroe, Ahmad Hardy became one of the biggest stars in college football rushing for 1,560 yards and 16 touchdowns powering the Missouri offense. While Hardy was expected to be the driving force for the Tigers' offense again this season, his season is in jeopardy.
Eli Drinkwitz provides update on Ahmad Hardy
Earlier in May, college football fans were shaken when news emerged that Ahmad Hardy was the victim of a shooting at a concert in Mississippi. Once it was clear that Ahmad Hardy was going to recover from the incident, the attention then turned to his future as many wondered if he'd be back for the football season as a projected 1st round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
On Tuesday, Ahmad Hardy shared an update on his running backs recovery that at least gives the fans a reason to be optimistic.
Eli Drinkwitz with latest on Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy: "He’s been rehabbing in our facility every morning at 9 a.m. We’re a long way away from knowing what the football side will be."
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) May 26, 2026
Expectation is the timeline will be clearer around SEC media days.
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While Drinkwitz said that the Tigers are a long way from knowing what the football side will be, the news should still be encouraging for Missouri fans. Given how recently the shooting took place, figuring out a timeline was always going to take time, but the fact that Hardy is able to rehab now is at least encouraging.
The Missouri Tigers' season is still 100 days from kicking off which gives the team time to continue allowing Hardy to rehab at his own pace. Even if Hardy can't be with the team to start the season, making a return after such a scary situation would be an incredible story and feat for Hardy.
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