Missouri star running back Ahmad Hardy will not be available to start the season opener, as he still hasn't practiced this offseason after being shot in the upper leg in May.
On Saturday night, while recapping his team's fall camp, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz announced the decision, adding that the Tigers "really don't have a timetable on that. It's up to his body and his response, and I know he's doing everything he can. [I] feel like, right now, it's in his best interest to hold off."
Hardy entered the season as one of the most accomplished players in the sport and among the best in the SEC. He earned first-team All-American honors last year and finished No. 2 in the nation in rushing.
Missouri opens the season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sept. 3 and plays at Kansas on Sept. 11. The Tigers then play Troy on Sept. 19 before opening conference play at Mississippi State on Sept. 26.
Hardy transferred from Louisiana Monroe to Missouri for the 2025 season and became one of the breakthrough players in the SEC, leading the league in rushing yards (1,649) and yards per attempt (6.4).
Hardy suffered a gunshot wound at a concert in Mississippi in May. He immediately had surgery, and Drinkwitz has been judicious with his updates on Hardy's status since then.
At SEC Media Days in July, Drinkwitz said that Hardy was "medically cleared," but still needed to work his way back.
Redshirt junior Jamal Roberts is expected to receive a bulk of the carries for Missouri. He is an accomplished back who has rushed for 968 career yards and averages 5.4 yards per carry in his career.