6 days ago
Now that nan smoke, some metaphorically and, unfortunately, literally, has cleared following nan shooting of Ahmad Hardy successful early May, we tin return a measurement backmost and analyse nan Mizzou moving backmost room arsenic it stands now. Thankfully, Hardy has been retired of nan the infirmary for much than a week and is already rehabbing regular astatine nan Mizzou facilities, according to Eli Drinkwitz.
While each signs bespeak Hardy shouldn’t suffer immoderate semipermanent beingness effects from nan incident, nan timeline for Hardy’s eventual betterment and return to nan section is still very overmuch unknown. That leaves moving backs coach Curtis Luper, violative coordinator Chip Lindsey and nan Tiger discourtesy pinch a elephantine mobility people successful nan container of nan moving game. Will Hardy beryllium capable to play astatine each this year? If so, when? If not, who tin effort and screen his much than 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns he accounted for successful 2025?
During our yearly Spring Position Battles series, I skipped complete nan moving backmost position because, honestly, location was nary position battle. While it made consciousness astatine nan time, location now is overmuch much uncertainty astir nan position, truthful we’ll spell up and dive into nan imaginable candidates for playing clip if Hardy isn’t capable to make it connected nan section by Sept. 3.
With Hardy’s position up successful nan air, nan spotlight has, astatine slightest for now, squarely shifted onto St. Louis-native Jamal Roberts. Fortunately for nan Tigers, Roberts is not immoderate unproven backup being thrown into nan fire. He has already established himself arsenic a solid-if-not-excellent SEC caliber moving backmost who would astir apt commencement for astir half nan teams crossed nan convention correct now.
Mizzou is fortunate to person managed to clasp Roberts this off-season alternatively of losing him to nan transportation portal. Given nan existent moving backmost marketplace astir assemblage football, location almost surely would person been plentifulness of liking successful a proven subordinate pinch his accumulation and efficiency.
The redshirt junior, listed astatine 6 feet and 212 pounds, emerged arsenic 1 of nan astir businesslike backs successful nan SEC past season, rushing for 753 yards and six touchdowns connected conscionable 124 carries while averaging an awesome 6.1 yards per attempt. He besides added 18 receptions for 141 yards and different touchdown done nan air.
Roberts showed passim 2025 that he possesses nan burst, imagination and interaction equilibrium to thrive against SEC defenses. His 143-yard capacity against kansas early past play offered a glimpse of what he tin look for illustration erstwhile fixed an expanded workload.
That said, location is still a meaningful chartless here. Roberts has ne'er handled a existent full-time starter’s workload complete an full SEC season. Last twelvemonth he thrived arsenic portion of a rotation alongside Hardy, often benefiting from fresher legs and favorable situations. There is simply a quality betwixt being an explosive complementary backmost and carrying nan discourtesy for 20-plus touches each week. Still, arsenic acold arsenic contingency plans go, Mizzou could do overmuch worse. If Hardy is forced to miss important time, nan Tigers stay successful very tin hands pinch Roberts starring nan backfield.
Xai’Shaun Edwards abruptly becomes 1 of nan much important violative additions for Mizzou this play and nan erstwhile FCS standout appears poised to measurement into a important secondary domiciled successful nan backfield.
Edwards, a 5-9, 205-pound Houston Christian transfer, arrives successful Columbia aft a highly productive redshirt freshman play successful which he rushed for much than 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns astatine nan FCS level. While nan jump successful title to nan SEC is substantial, that level of accumulation astatine specified a young property is difficult to ignore. Among Mizzou’s 2 transportation moving backs this offseason, Edwards is by acold nan much proven option.
His operation of burst and interaction equilibrium gives nan Tigers different morganatic rushing threat down Jamal Roberts. Still, location are adjacent questions astir really smoothly that accumulation will construe to SEC defenses. Edwards does not person overwhelming size and has yet to look nan play physicality of FBS football.
Even so, if Hardy is unavailable, Mizzou apt needs Edwards to lend meaningful carries immediately, whether primitively planned aliases not.
Va’aimalae “Malae” Fonoti gives Mizzou different intriguing extent action astatine moving back, though nan Montana transportation enters 2026 moreover much unproven than chap newcomer Xai’Shaun Edwards.
The rising redshirt sophomore appeared successful 11 games past play for nan Grizzlies, rushing for 184 yards and 3 touchdowns connected 48 carries while adding a fistful of receptions retired of nan backfield. At 5-11 and 210 pounds, Fonoti brings noticeably amended size than Edwards and already looks built to withstand SEC physicality. That framework could make him a useful short-yardage aliases rotational action early successful his Mizzou career.
Still, his wide floor plan remains much projection than accumulation astatine this point. Fonoti did not station immense numbers astatine nan FCS level and whitethorn deficiency immoderate of nan burst and big-play explosiveness that Edwards showed past season. Instead, his crippled appears built much astir beingness downhill moving and interaction balance.
With Ahmad Hardy sidelined indefinitely, Fonoti could find himself competing for meaningful rotational carries overmuch earlier than primitively expected. Even if he is not fresh for a awesome workload immediately, his size and developmental upside make him an absorbing portion of nan Tigers’ reshaped moving backmost room.
The 4th and last moving backmost pinch a chance to thief nan Tigers switch Hardy’s accumulation should it beryllium needed is existent freshman Max Warner. The Chicago autochthonal was a three-star enlistee retired of precocious schoolhouse and was 1 of nan less-heralded members of nan 2026 recruiting class. At 5-10, 185 pounds he decidedly weighs successful connected nan smaller broadside arsenic SEC moving backs go. For his flimsy frame, he does look to person bully equilibrium and expertise to support his feet erstwhile hit.
Under Eli Drinkwitz and Curtis Luper, nan Tigers person been known to springiness talented freshmen backs a small tally astatine nan extremity of games (see Kewan Lacy and Marquise Davis) but they person not been consenting to springiness galore (if any) high-leverage carries to young players. Warner should supply extent to nan portion successful lawsuit of immoderate further wounded but astir apt won’t spot immoderate important snaps successful 2026.
So what does it each mean? Well, first and foremost arsenic Tigers fans (and quality beings) lets believe that Hardy has a speedy and afloat recovery. Consensus All-American moving backs don’t turn connected trees and if Mizzou tin get him for moreover half nan play successful 2026, I deliberation nan coaches and fans would return it successful a heartbeat.
Beyond Hardy, Mizzou is successful astir arsenic bully a business arsenic imaginable pinch who could switch him arsenic a starter. As mentioned earlier, Jamal Roberts already would commencement for astir apt half nan SEC already, truthful nan coaches should person nary qualms giving him workhorse-level snaps and carries if Hardy isn’t fresh to spell successful September.
However, beyond Hardy location are a full bunch of mobility marks. Edwards has produced, but astatine a overmuch little level. Fonoti is benignant of a lottery summons and Warner hasn’t seen a azygous threat of assemblage shot successful his young career. One point is for judge though: Curtis Luper ever finds guys who tin nutrient connected nan crushed and Eli Drinkwitz offenses ever find ways to tally wide area to awesome effect. Regardless of who it will be, Mizzou fans should person religion that Roberts and… someone… will churn up nan yards.
But let’s conscionable get Ahmad backmost up and moving afloat velocity truthful we don’t person to interest astir it.
