Mizzou is losing star RBs Marcus Carroll and Nate Noel heading into the 2025 season.
But coach Eli Drinkwitz hit the portal this offseason and is bringing in a guy who could be the next great Mizzou running back in former Louisiana-Monroe RB Ahmad Hardy.
How good can Hardy, a rising sophomore, be this fall? ESPN’s Chris Low already has him in the top 10 running backs in all of college football. ESPN put together a ranking of the top-10 RBs for 2025 and Hardy checked in at No. 6.
Here’s what Low had to say about the talented and evasive runner:
Hardy established himself as one of the top true freshmen in college football last season at Louisiana-Monroe. He rushed for 1,351 yards, including eight 100-yard games, and scored 13 touchdowns. He was overlooked by recruiters coming out of high school but was one of the top running back targets in the transfer portal and landed at Missouri.
Hardy, 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, is at his best making defenders miss and churning out yards after contact. He was one of seven players nationally to have 1,000 yards or more after contact (1,012) last season. Hardy forced 91 missed tackles — only Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo had more. With Kewan Lacy leaving for Ole Miss, Hardy will get all the carries he can handle in 2025.
Indeed, Missouri’s backfield depth looks a bit thinner than it has in recent years, so expect the Tigers to feed the ball to Hardy early and often starting in Week 1.
REMINDER: Sports betting will go live in Missouri in 2025. Stay tuned to Saturday Down South for all the best Missouri betting promos, including what will surely be a great BetMGM Missouri bonus code.
Mizzou opens the 2025 season on Saturday, Aug. 30, against Central Arkansas, an FCS foe, at Faurot Field.
