In this age of college football where rules are seemingly nonexistent, therefore leaving tampering to run wild, it’s almost a foregone conclusion for the top players in college football to be contacted by coaches from other programs.
That happened to the nation’s second-leading rusher, Missouri Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy, during the transfer portal period in January.
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“I won’t spread any names out there or anything, but it was lot of schools from a lot of different conferences,” Hardy told On3. “The head coaches aren’t the ones calling, but the first thing that happens is somebody from that school starts following you on Instagram. Then you hear from somebody on their staff or a position coach. You’re not going to talk to the head coach until you get in the portal.”
Despite that, and the large offers that were on the table for the star true sophomore running back, Hardy didn’t have a second thought.
“But it didn’t matter because I was never going to get into the portal,” he said. “Didn’t need an agent. I knew what I wanted. I wanted to be a Tiger until I turn pro. Missouri has taken care of me. I wanted to keep building my legacy here.”
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Hardy has been at Missouri for just over a year, as he burst onto the scene with the UL Monroe Warhawks in 2024 as a true freshman. It was a complete surprise when the three-star recruit, ranked by 247 Sports Composite as the No. 153 running back in the class, ran for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns, nearly leading the Warhawks to their first .500 season since 2018 but falling one win short.
From there, he hit the portal and landed with the Tigers, where, once again, not much was expected from him in the vaunted SEC. But he flourished, grabbing hold of the RB1 spot and going on to lead the conference in rushing with 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns. Missouri went 8-5 on the season despite dealing with numerous injuries to the quarterback position, as they turned to Hardy to carry much of the offensive load.
Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz knows what he has in Hardy — one of the best players in college football — and wasn’t shy in expressing it, lauding his character along the way.
“There ain’t a better running back in college football,” Drinkwitz told On3. “You look at yards after contact. You look at speed metrics. You look at vision. You look at production, and he’s made of the right stuff.”
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Ahmad Hardy says he passed on big portal money to remain at Mizzou
