COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Ahmad Hardy is back in Missouri just over a week after the All-America running back was shot in his home state of Mississippi.
Missouri’s football program released a 14-second video Wednesday in which Hardy said he was "starting the road to my rehab.”
“I want to thank everybody for all the support and all of you all’s prayers, thank everybody for everything,” Hardy said. “I’m back to the road to success.”
A message from @Ahmadhardy29 to Tiger fans as he attacks his rehab in Columbia! pic.twitter.com/lWSednZfJ1
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) May 20, 2026
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz has indicated there's no clear timetable for Hardy's recovery.
“It’ll be several weeks before we actually get a timeline,” Drinkwitz told reporters this week. “There’s some internal healing that has to occur before we get to any type of strenuous activities, which would then dictate a timeline on his return.”
Hardy was shot in the upper leg on May 10 while attending a concert at a bike club in Laurel, Mississippi, about 90 minutes from his hometown of Oma. At least one other person also was injured. Hardy underwent surgery in Mississippi before returning to Missouri.
Rashodrick Harris, a 20-year-old from Wayne County, Mississippi, was arrested last week in connection with the shooting. He is being charged with two counts of aggravated assault.
Hardy earned first-team Associated Press All-America honors last season and was one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award given annually to college football’s top running back. He rushed for 1,649 yards to rank second among all Bowl Subdivision players.
He started his college career at Louisiana-Monroe but transferred to Missouri before the 2025 season.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
