Horses & brotherhood: Ahmad Hardy previews second spring at Mizzou

COLUMBIA, Mo — When asked about what’s different for Ahmad Hardy in his second season at Missouri, Eli Drinkwitz had the room laughing.

“He’s got four horses now,” Drinkwitz smirked. “Last year, he had one, so the pay raise has really helped out in his ability to garner horses.”

Hardy, whose head coach called a “horse trader,” had a new horse arrive Wednesday morning. The rising junior has prioritized quality riding with his horses, attending competitions for the fastest horse as well.

But the running back also emerged more as a leader entering his second and possible final offseason with the Tigers. The Missouri single-season leading rusher realized how important his off-the-field regimen — film, nutrition, sleep and recovery — helped his performances on the field.

“He’s got a hell of an offensive line in front of him,” said Drinkwitz, who noted Hardy building his foundation for future success at Missouri. “He knows how to run the outside zone, and we’re going to feature him. He’s got an unbelievable co-conspirator with him in Jamal Roberts. So he doesn’t have to handle the load all by himself.”

“It’s going to be a story to tell,” Hardy added about Roberts. “That’s my guy. I’m his guy. We’re in the running back room trying to teach the other guys.”

Hardy named Arizona State transfer Josh Atkins and Mississippi State transfer Zack Owens as two new offensive linemen already on his radar. With Atkins expected to start at right tackle, Hardy has seen returning starters Cayden Green and Dominick Giudice coaching up the new guys.

Underclassman WR stands out to Hardy

Drinkwitz added the transfer adds of Caleb Goodie and Cayden Lee paired with the growth of Donovan Olugbode will make the offense even more tooled up. Redshirt freshman Shaun Terry II — who suffered a knee injury in spring 2025 — also received a shoutout from the head coach as well as Hardy.

“Shaun Terry, he’s been putting in a lot of work on and off the field,” said Hardy, who also complimented one of the Miami transfers.

While looking back on his sophomore year, Hardy highlighted the Tigers’ brotherhood, putting aside any talk of future accolades. The program’s new slogan — “The new way is the Mizzou way” — became the subject of that recap. Hardy expressed gratitude to returning players for making him feel welcomed in 2025.

Hardy’s looked to pay that forward to this year’s transfer class.

“Last year, the season didn’t turn out how we wanted it to,” Hardy said. “We’re trying to build a brotherhood and become one. Hopefully, we can win as many games as we can this year.”