Reports: Mizzou running back Ahmad Hardy set to make season debut against Arkansas

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

All-American running back Ahmad Hardy is set to return from injury on Saturday in the Battle Line Rivalry.

After returning to practice last Sunday, Hardy will suit up for the first time against Arkansas in Fayetteville, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

The running back was shot in the leg at a concert in Laurel, Mississippi, on May 11. At SEC Media Days in July, head coach Eli Drinkwitz announced that Hardy had begun a return-to-play protocol, but was still held out of full practices.

Drinkwtiz took to X on Sunday to announce that Hardy would return to practice for the first time since the injury occurred, and just a week later, he's ready to go for the game against Arkansas.

The coach also talked about Hardy's injury Tuesday during the weekly "Tiger Talk" show.

"The invasive nature of the recovery, based off of the bullet entry and the surgery that occurred, there's a lot of things there that have to go right continuously for him to be able to...return to play football at a high level," Drinkwitz said. "So you're having to monitor all that, from the bone healing to the wound to how does this body respond to having a rod placed into his femur? Like, there's a lot of different things there that, you know, there's not an X-ray that tells you how he's ready to go."

Hardy was voted as a unanimous first-team All-American for the 2025-26 season. He finished the year with 16 touchdowns and 1,649 rushing yards, which was the second most in the entire NCAA