Over the past few seasons, the identity of the Missouri Tigers has been their explosive passing attack. Given that the team had an experienced quarterback in Brady Cook along with explosive receivers like Luther Burden III and Theo Wease, the strategy made the most sense. This offseason, the Tigers lost all three to the NFL which meant an identity shift was going to take place.
Most programs build their roster to fit their personnel but, on a yearly basis it's not uncommon to see a program shift identities based on their roster. The Tigers replace quarterback Brady Cook with Penn State transfer Beau Pribula who served a key role for the Nittany Lions as a rushing threat.
While landing Beau Pribula alone is enough of a reason to run the football more, the Missouri Tigers have another reason for a clear shift. The biggest transfer addition for the program is former UL Monroe running back Ahmad Hardy. As a true freshman, Hardy rushed for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns averaging 5.7 yards per attempt.
The concern for the Tigers would be whether or not Hardy can put up the same level of production moving to the SEC. As Hardy has a full year of experience under his belt, that alone would be enough of a reason to believe that he's only going to get better. The more important aspect for Hardy becoming one of the SEC's best backs is that Hardy is going to be in an outside zone scheme.
When Ahmad Hardy has been at his best is when he's running the ball to the outside which allows him to use his speed to his best advantage. If Ahmad Hardy gets to the outside he's almost impossible to take down as he's impressive 1 on 1 in space.
Missouri bringing in Ahmad Hardy and Beau Pribula only means one thing… Run the dam football!! pic.twitter.com/wo4HiIFgfa
— Mark Kinley (@ONLYSPORTSMK) May 2, 2025
At UL Monroe, Ahmad Hardy proved he was a star but, now in the SEC, Ahmad Hardy has a chance to become one of the biggest stars in the sport. As Hardy takes a step up in competition, running behind Missouri's offensive line in this scheme could allow him to post even more impressive numbers against tougher competition.
The area where Missouri can help Ahmad Hardy take the next step is as a receiving threat out of the backfield. Last season, Hardy only caught 8 passes for 72 yards which is shockingly low for a back with Hardy's skill set. If the Tigers can help make Hardy an all around dynamic threat, he could find himself in Heisman contention as one of the best players in the sport.