Ahmad Hardy

Ahmad Hardy
No. 29 – Missouri Tigers
PositionRunning back
ClassJunior
Personal information
Born (2005-12-19) December 19, 2005
Brookhaven, Mississippi, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolLawrence County (Monticello, Mississippi)
College
Awards and highlights
Stats at ESPN

Ahmad Hardy (born December 19, 2005) is an American college football running back for the Missouri Tigers. He previously played for the Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks.

Early life and high school career

Hardy was born in Brookhaven, Mississippi and grew up in the small community of Oma, Mississippi.[1] He attended Lawrence County High School in Monticello, Mississippi. As a senior, he rushed for 2,442 yards and 27 touchdowns, before committing to play college football at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.[2]

College career

Louisiana–Monroe

Hardy earned immediate playing time as a true freshman.[3] In his collegiate debut against Jackson State, Hardy rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown in a 30–14 win.[4] Against Troy, he rushed for 94 yards and the game's only touchdown, leading the Warhawks to a 13–9 victory.[5] Against Southern Miss, he totaled 174 all-purpose yards, while rushing for two touchdowns in a 38–21 win.[6][7] Hardy finished his freshman season rushing for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns, before announcing his intentions to enter the transfer portal.[8] Hardy was named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and also received first-team all-conference honors at the end of the season.[9]

Missouri

On December 18, 2024, Hardy announced that he would be transferring to the University of Missouri to play for the Missouri Tigers.[10][11] On September 13, 2025, Hardy rushed for 250 yards on 22 carries and scored three touchdowns against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. This total ranks as the seventh-highest single-game rushing performance in Missouri history and is tied for the 22nd-most rushing yards in a game by a Southeastern Conference player.[12][13] On November 15, 2025, in Missouri's 49–27 victory over Mississippi State, Hardy rushed for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns on 25 carries, becoming only the second Missouri player to have 300 rushing yards in a game, the other being Devin West (319 yards on 33 carries) in 1998 against Kansas.[12] Hardy's rushing total was also the third-highest in a game in SEC history, behind Darren McFadden of Arkansas in 2007 and Tre Mason of Auburn in 2013 (whose 304-yard performance was against Missouri).[13] Hardy is the second Missouri player to rush for 250 or more yards in two separate games in a season, after West did this twice in 1998.[14]

Statistics

College statistics
Season Team Games Rushing Receiving
GPAttYardsAvgTDRecYardsAvgTD
2024 Louisiana–Monroe 122371,3515.7138729.00
2025 Missouri 122411,5606.5166223.70
Career234782,9116.12914946.70

Personal life

Hardy is the son of Adrianne Broomfield. He grew up mostly with his mom raising four kids: three boys and one girl. He has a twin sister.[15]

2026 shooting

In May 2026, Hardy was shot in the leg at a concert in Laurel, Mississippi.[16] Three former teammates from his high school were arrested in connection with the shooting. Hardy underwent surgery and intends to return to football.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Jha, Prasanna; Henson, Jasmine (October 14, 2024). "More than a running back: Ahmad Hardy's story". The Hawkeye. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  2. ↑ Furr, Cliff (February 13, 2024). "Hardy heading to UL-Monroe, Cato inks to play two sports at CLCC". Daily Leader. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  3. ↑ Staff, MetroNews (November 1, 2024). "Freshmen critical to Warhawks' offensive success". WV MetroNews. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  4. ↑ Furr, Cliff (August 30, 2024). "LC alum Ahmad Hardy tops 100-yard mark to help push ULM past Jackson State". Daily Leader. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Ahmad Hardy scores only TD to push UL Monroe past Troy 13-9 in a Sun Belt Conference opener". WTOP News. September 29, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  6. ↑ Watkins, Scott. "Mississippi native runs all over struggling Southern Miss. Is this the bottom?". Sun Herald.
  7. ↑ Dawkins, Hunter (October 12, 2024). "Monticello native leads way as Louisiana Monroe beats Southern Miss 38-21 - SuperTalk Mississippi". Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  8. ↑ Nakos, Pete (December 3, 2024). "ULM running back Ahmad Hardy plans to enter transfer portal". On3. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Hardy Named Sun Belt Conference Football Freshman of the Year, Nine Warhawks Earn All-Sun Belt Honors". ulmwarhawks.com. December 5, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  10. ↑ Hoff, Eli (December 18, 2024). "Mizzou lands Ahmad Hardy, nation's leading freshman running back, from transfer portal". STLtoday.com. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  11. ↑ Pope, Keegan (December 19, 2024). "BREAKING: Missouri Tigers land nation's No. 1 running back transfer, a true freshman All-American". On3. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  12. 1 2 "Most rushing yards in a game by a Missouri Tigers player". StatMuse. Retrieved September 15, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. 1 2 "Most rushing yards in a game by a Southeastern Conference player". StatMuse. Retrieved September 15, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  14. ↑ "Most games with 250 or more yards in a season by a Missouri Tigers player". Stathead. Retrieved November 15, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  15. ↑ Jha, Prasanna. "More than a running back: Ahmad Hardy's story". The Hawkeye. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
  16. ↑ https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/48741126/missouri-running-back-ahmad-hardy-shot-stable-condition
  17. ↑ "Missouri running back shot while at concert in Mississippi". NBC News. May 11, 2026. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
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