Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger claims wild horses couldn’t drag him away.

Jagger also doesn’t play college football, where a wild horse has been relentlessly dragging defenders for the last year.

Missouri’s sophomore running back Ahmad Hardy racked up 1,012 yards after contact and 93 missed tackles in 2024 and is continuing the trend in 2025, shrugging off multiple defenders with ease frequently.

“Dude is running through people like he’s a dump truck,” head coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. “I mean, he’s a Clydesdale amongst a bunch of Fillies. It’s unbelievable.”

Take one look at the 5-foot-10, 210 pound Hardy, then glance at the roughly two-ton, giant Scottish Horse known as the Clydesdale, and it’s easy to see how Drinkwitz put two and two together. Hardy’s making bigger defenders look like Fillies –– see how he bulldozed 6-foot-3, 231-pound South Carolina linebacker Shawn Murphy in the Week 4 Mayor’s Cup matchup.

It’s plays like those –– where Hardy makes an example of a trying defender –– that have begun to strike fear in the hearts of opponents.

Junior wideout Marquis Johnson has experienced it firsthand.

“I go to block [defenders] and they’re like ‘Oh my god, can someone please tackle him?’” Johnson said. “You’re not tackling him.”

Hardy seems to think the same.

“Every time I touch the ball, I’m thinking I’m going to score,” Hardy said.

If Hardy’s mindset reflected reality, he’d have 103 touchdowns to match his 103 carries on the year. While he hasn’t quite reached those numbers, he’s still filling up the stat sheet at an impressive rate.

Hardy leads the nation in rushing yards with 730, and is tied for first in the nation with nine rushing touchdowns, all while averaging 7.1 yards per carry in the process. Ole Miss sophomore Kewan Lacy ranks second in the Southeastern Conference with 445 rushing yards, making the gap between him and Hardy 285 yards. The 285 yards separating Hardy and Lacy is a bigger gap than what separates Lacy and the SEC’s 28th leading rusher, Rashul Faison, with 163 rushing yards.

Graduate Missouri offensive tackle Keagen Trost bounced around programs during his college career, spending time at Morgan State, Indiana State and Wake Forest before eventually landing at Missouri.

His stellar run blocking helped boost the Tigers to 285 rushing yards against the Gamecocks, earning Trost SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors in the process.

Of the many running backs he’s blocked for, none stack up to Hardy.

“[He’s] the best running back that I’ve ever been on a team with,” Trost said. “Any running back can hit the hole, but really, when sometimes you might not get it blocked perfectly, and a running back can break a tackle and still get a lot of yards. It just shows that you have a great back that can make plays even when it’s not perfect.”

Hardy’s done just that, breaking tackles and making something out of nothing throughout the season. Out of the 22 times he was handed off the ball against South Carolina, it took two or more defenders to take him down on 12 of them. If teams plan on bringing Hardy down, it’s clear they need to rally the troops for a collective effort.

At just 19 years old, the sophomore has made a quick impression on the college football scene. His rise to the top has been nothing short of monstrous, but he’s nowhere near a finished product –– a scary thought for future opponents.

“He’s still hungry to grow and develop,” Drinkwitz said. “[He] understands that each game’s a new opportunity to be better. I was really proud of him.”

Entering the season, Hardy was on record saying the game speed felt fast to him as a first-time SEC running back. Throughout the season, he’s maintained that answer, saying the game still feels fast, making his eye-popping performances all the more impressive.

Maybe it feels fast because he runs with the speed and intensity of a Clydesdale, but Drinkwitz thinks there’s another reason.

“I think it’s fast for him with all the other stuff outside [of] the ball being in his hands,” Drinkwitz said. “It will continually slow down, but I think he’s hungry to try to master the game, because there’s a lot more to play in running back and breaking tackles … being able to do the other things like protect the quarterback, be available in the pass game.”

Hardy’s already shown growth in those areas throughout the season by improving on his blitz pickups in pass protection scenarios in crucial downs –– see this chip block on South Carolina defensive back Vicari Swain in the red zone.

Drinkwitz thought Hardy would have “totally missed” the pickup had it occurred in fall camp, but Hardy’s immense growth in pass protection has already begun to pay off.

Missouri’s star running back already feels unstoppable, but if the Clydesdale hits his full stride, there’s no telling how far he can run.

Edited by Colin Simmons l [email protected]
Copy edited by Drew Johnson and Emma Harper | [email protected]
Edited by Chase Pray | [email protected]