Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz provided an encouraging update on star running back Ahmad Hardy’s status during SEC Media Days. He revealed that Hardy has been medically cleared following the gunshot wound he suffered earlier this offseason.
Hardy was shot in the upper leg while attending a concert in Mississippi in May. He underwent surgery shortly after the incident. Although Missouri initially said there was no timeframe for his return, Drinkwitz said the recovery is going well.
“Ahmad has been medically cleared from the bullet that struck him and he is on the road to recovery,” he told reporters.
“The bullet did strike a bone in his body, and that has been fully healed and cleared, and today was his first day back towards a full recovery.”
While the news marks significant progress, Missouri is still taking a cautious approach as Hardy works his way back onto the field.
“We anticipate that he will make a recovery,” he added. “What that recovery will look like after having a bullet strike you is still to be determined. We do not know exactly what the return-to-play progression is because there’s not a lot of literature and data on this.”
Eli Drinkwitz Expects Ahmad Hardy Back Soon
Drinkwitz explained that Missouri’s medical department is working together to carefully manage Hardy’s rehabilitation.
“We are utilizing our medical team, along with our athletic performance team and nutrition to approach this at a very good pace,” he said.
“We do anticipate that his return-to-play protocol could take anywhere between five to eight weeks,” Drinkwitz said. “At the end of the eight weeks we still don’t know what his recovery will be from. Is he the same Ahmad Hardy that was here last year?”
Despite the uncertainty, the Missouri coach expressed confidence in Hardy.
“My anticipation and what I’ve seen, the way he’s attacked his rehab, he’s going to be a better Ahmad Hardy than what he was before, and I’m very proud of the way that he’s approached his recovery.”
“I’m not sure that his riding horses was part of the recovery protocol that his surgeon had in place, but hell, John Wayne rode after he had been shot. He turned out all right.”
Hardy is coming off a breakout 2025 season, where he rushed for 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns. He entered the 2026 season as a preseason Heisman candidate.
Looking ahead to Hardy’s eventual return, Drinkwitz admitted one moment is already on his mind.
“When Ahmad scores his first touchdown this year,” he said, “that’s what I’ll be thinking about—that journey from hospital bed to end zone.”
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