TAMPA, Fla. — When Mizzou running back Ahmad Hardy sustained a gunshot wound to the upper leg on May 10 in Laurel, Mississippi, it shook college football. After surgery, when it became apparent he would be OK, concern eventually shifted from his well-being to whether he would play in 2026.

Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz wasted no time at SEC Media Days giving an update Monday on his All-American running back, talking about it in his opening statement.

“I did the very best that I could to save this update for the main stage,” he said.

Drinkwitz revealed that Hardy has been medically cleared just over 10 weeks after a bullet hit an unspecified bone, which Drinkwitz said is fully healed, adding that the rehab process is expected to take five to eight weeks.

Five weeks from Monday will be Aug. 24, 10 days before Mizzou is scheduled to take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the season opener at Memorial Stadium. Eight weeks out is Sept. 14, five days before Mizzou’s third game, also at home, versus Troy.

“We do not know exactly what the return-to-play progression is, because there’s not a lot of literature on this,” Drinkwitz said. “We are utilizing our medical team along with our athletic performance team and nutrition to approach this at a very good pace.”

Drinkwitz also spoke about how the incident served as a learning opportunity for Hardy and other student-athletes.

“I think there’s just a youthfulness (and) invincibility for all of these guys right now, from 18 to 22,” Drinkwitz said. “They’re empowered more now than they’ve ever been before … I think for Ahmad, there was that moment there he realized he was mortal.”

One of Hardy’s teammates reflected on the incident and how a player’s health is bigger than the game.

“It humbled me in a way, just having that situation (and) getting that call,” fellow running back Jamal Roberts said. “It’s close to home. That’s my boy.”

Drinkwitz said he was proud of the way Hardy has approached his recovery. The running back has spent time with his infant son while continuing to indulge in one of his favorite hobbies: horseback riding.

“I’m not sure that his riding horses was part of the recovery protocol that his surgeon had in place,” Drinkwitz said jokingly. “John Wayne rode after he had been shot. He turned out all right. Ahmad Hardy is trying the same approach.”

Without Hardy, the Tigers will turn to Roberts, who rushed for 753 yards and six touchdowns last season. While Roberts has never been Mizzou’s No. 1 back, Drinkwitz doesn’t think it matters.

“He’s always been a lead back,” he said. “He’s always been a dynamic player (and) a guy who can score at any moment. We have a tremendous amount of confidence in Jamal Roberts.”

Still, Missouri would love to get Hardy back, and it’s looking like that’s a real possibility. It may simply be a matter of when. It’s unclear how Hardy’s performance will stack up to last year’s, but Drinkwitz feels like he has some idea.

“He’s going to be a better Ahmad Hardy than he was before,” he said.

It’s difficult to guess when Hardy will put on the uniform and lace up the cleats, but in the meantime, it’s a waiting game as Hardy continues to venture down the road to recovery.

“When Ahmad scores his first touchdown this year, that’s what I’ll be thinking about, that journey from hospital bed to end zone,” Drinkwitz said.