Last season, only two running backs forced more missed tackles than Ahmad Hardy, and both have made their way onto NFL rosters through the draft.
Hardy forced those misses because he is a powerful runner, but he doesn’t only run through people.
“That’s something I want to perfect,” Hardy said. “A lot of people say I’m just a downhill runner, so I try to, you know, make guys miss and get around tackles, not just run through people.”
Hardy produced one of the best seasons in the country for a running back as a true freshman at Louisiana-Monroe and his ability to keep himself off the ground was one of the biggest factors in his success.
“Every time I do get the ball, I think, ‘Go score and don’t hit the ground,’” Hardy said. “... I’m one of those guys that say I want my jersey clean after the game. I don’t like it dirty, so I try to stay off the ground.”
Now Hardy joins a Missouri Tiger team that has excelled in the stretch and outside zone running game the past few years, initially led by Cody Schrader, then continued by Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll last season.
Louisiana-Monroe runs an outside zone scheme as well, the scheme that led Hardy to so much success as a freshman.
He said knowing he can succeed in the Tigers’ style was a big part of his decision to join Missouri.
“I feel like I’m perfecting my craft at the outside zone with my forceful running,” Hardy said.
Hardy is set to be the next in a growing line of Tiger running backs showcasing their skill after transferring to step up a level or two.
Starting with Schrader and his 2,371 yards and 23 touchdowns in two seasons, then followed by Noel posting 818 yards in 11 games and Carroll with his team-leading 12 touchdowns in 2024, Hardy has big shoes to fill.
“Cody, I heard he was a walk-on and he set records here,” Hardy said. “I know he put in the work and of course, you can tell, we can see by his yards. I actually didn’t know that … he had 1,600 yards, so I’m looking to try to beat that record.”
Hardy was one of the most highly-sought players in the transfer portal, but that experience was a bit different than the rising sophomore’s high school recruiting process.
The 5-foot-10 back was a no-star recruit coming out of Lawrence County High School, which has about 650 total students across four grades. Louisiana-Monroe, about two and a half hours from Monticello, Mississippi, where Hardy grew up, was the only Division I offer Hardy had coming out of high school, but he received a few more calls the next time around.
“Almost every team in the nation contacted me,” Hardy said. “But for Mizzou, I felt like this was like home. They were saying the right stuff, stuff like that, and the coaches, the staff, they did their job and it felt like home. And the players, they welcomed me in.”
Now Hardy is bringing a country upbringing to a team full of city kids, not least of which is introducing them to his horse, Coco.
“I’m from Mississippi, I’m kind of country, these guys, they haven’t seen anything like that,” Hardy said of bonding with his teammates by teaching them to ride a horse. “They’re from the city, so it’s kind of cool or whatever, for them. But I’ve been doing it my whole life, so I try to introduce those guys to it.”
He said at the end of spring practice, only receiver Kevin Coleman had come out for a ride so far.
“But half of the team wants to go,” Hardy said.
As Hardy is introducing his teammates to horseback riding and country music, he’s going to introduce the rest of the SEC to one of the best running backs available in the transfer portal last season, all while continuing to perfect his craft and continue to grow.
“We’re all pushing each other to become great,” Hardy said. “No matter who gets to start at a position, we push each other each and every day to compete and we all love each other.”
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