Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz said Monday that running back Ahmad Hardy has been medically cleared after being struck by gunfire in May. Drinkwitz made the comments at SEC Media Days, where he credited medical staff for Hardy’s recovery.
Hardy was struck by gunfire on May 10 after an outdoor concert in his home state of Mississippi and was hospitalized, the team said. He spent his high school years at Lawrence County and transferred from Louisiana-Monroe to Missouri ahead of the 2025 season. Hardy finished second among FBS players with 1,639 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns last season and was a first-team All-SEC selection, according to FBS statistics and conference honors.
Drinkwitz said the bullet struck a bone in Hardy’s leg and that medical personnel involved in his care say the bone has completely healed. Drinkwitz said the program is using its medical, athletic performance and nutrition teams to guide a return-to-play progression that could take five to eight weeks.
“We do anticipate that this return-to-play protocol could take anywhere between five to eight weeks,” Drinkwitz said. He said the staff does not yet know how Hardy will perform compared with last season, but praised Hardy’s approach to rehabilitation and predicted improvement. “My anticipation, what I’ve seen, the way he’s attacked his rehab, he’s going to be a better Ahmad Hardy than he was before,” Drinkwitz said.
Drinkwitz also used the podium to address gun violence, saying the injury was a reminder there is no place for such violence, particularly among young people. “Not criticizing the police or the rights to bear arms, which is a Second Amendment right, but just saying there is no place for gun violence, especially for our youth in society,” he said. Missouri opens the regular season on Sept. 3 against Arkansas Pine Bluff; Drinkwitz said it is not likely Hardy will be available for that opener but that his recovery is moving in a positive direction.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
