Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy was upgraded from a season-long status of out to unlisted on the SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report ahead of the Tigers' matchup against Arkansas at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday. Hardy could technically play against the Razorbacks, since he is not listed.

The Tigers have just three players listed on the report after a season-high 24 appeared last game. The bare-bones list also follows a lengthy update from head coach Eli Drinkwitz on Tuesday regarding 12 Tigers, that a portion of, were not at perfect health. Among the players, Drinkwitz provided an update on Ahmad Hardy, stating that he returned to practice on Monday and that there was no timeline.

Eli Drinkwitz provided updates on 12 Tigers during Tuesday's press conference, a day later, the injury report features three Tigers. 24 were on the report last week. pic.twitter.com/xIVYDyKPTF

— Zachary Knox-Doyle (@zachkd29) October 29, 2026

“We're really just going based off, he practiced yesterday, everything went good, but it's really going to be about how does he feel today?" Drinkwitz said on Tuesday. "Because we don't know if he can do a back-to-back practice, and then how does that translate until tomorrow? So there's no timeline on if this, then this, then this. It's hey, we'll see how today goes, and then we'll figure out what tomorrow looks like and go from there.

"So I don't know if he'll be back for Arkansas. I don't know if he'll be back for Texas. I don't know if he'll be back for the bowl game. Nobody knows.” 

Regardless when or if he plays, quarterback Austin Simmons has enjoyed seeing Hardy back at practice, bringing an added excitement to the roster.

“It's actually pretty wild seeing him for the first time in a while, going out there doing his job and seeing him make those cuts like he used to back in the day,” Simmons said Tuesday. "He was really excited — did a little Tiger Jacks at the beginning of practice, and you could tell how excited he was.” 

Back in the day, as Simmons said, wasn't all that long ago. Simmons first practiced with the star running back in the spring prior to Hardy suffering a upper-leg gunshot wound in May and after his SEC-leading season. Hardy led the entire SEC in yards, ranked second in the conference in carries and touchdowns, while setting the single-season Missouri rushing yards record.

In his absence, Jamal Roberts has been the starting running back for the Tigers following an 124-carry, 753-yard season alongside Hardy. As the primary ball carrier, Roberts currently ranks top three in the SEC in carries (167), rushing yards (867) and touchdowns (8).

Other injuries

During Tuesday's press conference Drinkwitz mentioned 11 other Tigers that were dealing with injuries, or recovering from them. On Wednesday's injury report just three players were listed: Malae Fonoti, Josh Atkins and Gavin Hoffman, all cited as out.

Fonoti and Atkins have season-ending injuries, while Drinkwitz believes that there's a pathway for Hoffman to return later in the season.

Starters Darris Smith, Robert Woodyard Jr. and Cayden Green are among the several Tigers not mentioned on the report. On Tuesday, Drinkwitz said Woodyard was "working to get back," after he underwent a procedure Oct. 19, and that Green is "always gonna be week-to-week." As for Smith, the update was less positive, but still alluded to the edge suiting up on Saturday.

“Still not quite where you’d hope he’s got to be,” Drinkwitz said. "He's going to just have to cut it loose and give it a go. Disappointing for him, I know, just because of the naggingness of this injury. You know, a high ankle sprain, but every day we get a day closer to getting better.”

The rest of Drinkwitz's updates can be found here.

On Arkansas' report, eight Razorbacks including star receiver Chris Marshall were listed. Marshall is questionable for the contest after sustaining an injury against Vanderbilt.

Marshall leads the Razorbacks with 633 yards, with the next closest player receiving 129 yards. Braylen Russell — Arkansas' leader in rushing attempts and yards — is probable per the report.