This season for Ahmad Hardy can be summed up in one word: Superb. Honestly, that may be underselling it. Through four games, Ahmad Hardy is the leading rusher in the SEC, with 600 yards. This puts Hardy at number two in the country behind UTSA’s Robert Henry Jr, who is having an outstanding season in his own right, with 624 yards. After the Louisiana game, in which Hardy amassed 250 yards without even playing in the fourth quarter, the nation began to watch. Hardy would make the most of that, running for 138 yards against South Carolina, finding the end zone as well on maybe the best five yard-run i’ve ever seen.

Now, Hardy is finding himself on Heisman watchlists, and he might just be the most talked-about running back in the country. What’s crazy about all of this is that many fans and Mizzou coaches knew Hardy was good, doing plenty of cheerleading over fall camp. But nobody, and I mean nobody, not even Eli Drinkwitz, knew that he’d be this good. Following the win over South Carolina, Eli Drinkwitz spoke on Hardy, saying: “Let’s be honest, even I didn’t know he was going to be this good. He’s a Clydesdale amongst fillies.” That’s a fitting quote a bold statement, to say the least.

Hardy’s performance is currently on pace for: 1,800 yards, 237 carries, and 18 touchdowns, which would likely get him into New York, barring the Heisman committee not just picking quarterbacks. This performance has many, including myself, asking the question: “Is Ahmad Hardy the best Mizzou running back in the Drinkwitz era?” Which I would say is a fair question. Eli has been known to have some very solid running backs, given the likes of two 1,600-yard rushers in Tyler Badie and Cody Schrader, as well as getting semi-decent production out of Nate Noel and Marcus Caroll Jr. last season.

So, to break down where Hardy stands in this conversation, let’s take a look at the feature backs under Drinkwitz and see how they performed in their first four games of the season.

Tyler Badie, 2021: 417 yards, 66 carries, 5 touchdowns

Tyler Badie was the first premier running back under Drinkwitz and was one of the lone bright spots on a not-so-great Missouri team. Missouri went on to go 6-6 that season, and if it weren’t for Badie, Mizzou might’ve gone 3-9 or even worse. Badie went on to run for 1,604 yards that season and was arguably one of the best running backs in college football.

However, despite Badie’s greatness, Hardy still outshines him. Keep in mind, this was Badie’s senior season. Hardy however, is doing this in his sophomore season.

Cody Schrader: 403 yards, 66 carries, 2 touchdowns:

I didn’t expect it to get better than this guy. Cody Schrader, despite being in an offense with Luther Burden and Theo Wease, and despite being a walk-on from Truman State, played a pivotal role in the Tigers’ success in the ’23 season, finishing 11-2 on the year. Schrader had a solid season in ’22, picking up 745 yards on the ground on 170 carries, averaging nearly 5 yards per carry. Nobody could have possibly predicted that season however.

So how does Hardy compare? All-around, a better back. The eye test and statistics show it. Hardy is more powerful, faster, agile, and just better. The one knack on Hardy so far, however, has been ball security, due to his two fumbles against Kansas.

Nate Noel: 69 carries, 441 yards, 2 touchdowns:

Surprisingly, out of Badie and Schrader, Noel had the best performance through four games, despite a subpar rushing attack last season. Noel was solid against Boston College, but his best performance in that stretch was against Vanderbilt, where he would tally 199 yards on the ground, spurring the Tigers to victory. Noel, unlike Hardy, was a speed back who was tremendous on the outside zone concept. Hardy, more of a power back, is very comfortable in between the tackles. Yet despite Noel’s terrific stretch, it doesn’t sniff a candle to Hardy’s.

In conclusion, this piece was short. Really, this is to put into perspective just how good Ahmad Hardy has been and just how good he could be.