Ahmad Hardy officially re-signs with Mizzou
“I think they know I’m a Tiger. So they ain’t hitting me up.”
That’s what Mizzou running back Ahmad Hardy said Tuesday when asked if other teams were calling trying to entice him into the transfer portal.
And as of Friday, it looks like he’s a Tiger for good.
Hardy’s announcement comes as a sign of the new era in college athletics. The era where it can’t be assumed players will return to the team they just played for. Especially top-tier players like Hardy who could earn big money wherever he wanted to go.
But the Tigers retained the running back in line to be the best in college football next season.
Hardy’s 1,560 rushing yards in the regular season ended second in the country. While his 16 rushing touchdowns was tied for fourth.
And with just 68 yards to go to reset Cody Schrader’s single-season Mizzou rushing record, it looks likely that Hardy will hold the record after just one season with the Tigers.
Hardy is about 900 yards back of reaching the top 10 in Mizzou career rushing yards. But climbing high in that group seems unlikely. Hardy would be one of the first running backs taken if he were eligible to declare for the NFL Draft this year. Expecting him to stay in college past next season is unrealistic.
Running back tandem
There was also a hint Thursday night that Hardy’s backfield mate, Jamal Roberts, might stay in Columbia as well. Mizzou coach Eliah Drinkwitz made a public plea for an NIL deal to keep him around.
If Mizzou can return both backs, it is set up to have one of, if not the premier running back tandem in college football.
The Tigers will have work to do around the pair on offense with the departure of multiple starting receivers to eligibility and the portal, but for the run-heavy Tigers, guaranteeing Hardy’s return was the No. 1 priority for the offseason.