Mizzou’s Ahmad Hardy: How “Mighty Man” became the country’s best running back

Ahmad Hardy fell to the turf, but his legs were still pumping like pistons. As his feet dug back into the ground, he regained balance and kept sprinting.

“There ain’t no way,” his mother, Adriaune Broomfield thought to herself. “God got to be with him.”

That run could be one of many this season, because Hardy pulls off impossible feats of balance and power almost every game. Missouri’s running back is a breakout superstar, a tackle-breaking machine. But for those who have known the small-town kid they call “Mighty Man,” the nation’s leading rusher has always been a revelation. 

Hardy is resting this week ahead of a massive matchup against Alabama on Oct. 11, his best chance yet to garner national attention. Through five games, he’s shredded defenses for 730 yards and nine touchdowns while leading No. 19 Missouri to a 5-0 record. Don’t know Hardy yet? You will.

“Through five weeks, he’s as good as there’s been anywhere in the country,” said Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz.

Hardy’s off date this weekend will be spent back home in Mississippi, where he’ll disappear from the growing national spotlight so he can relax, ride one of his three horses — Chaotic, Coco and Jet — and perhaps catch a few fish. The outdoorsman is hard to catch both on and off the field, but his name is starting to gain traction in football circles.

Perhaps recruiters should have listened nearly nine years ago, when a 10-year-old running back from Monticello, Mississippi, exploded on the scene at a Mississippi Prospects camp at Southern Miss. Hardy needed only 27 carries to rush for 426 yards and six touchdowns while earning two MVP honors at the camp. His coaches posted a picture on Facebook of Hardy on Dec. 30, 2016, and declared:  “Remember this name.”

Dexter Sutton has tutored and helped raise Hardy since he was at least seven-year-old. The family friend coached Hardy’s Pee-Wee football team, when opposing coaches would question whether the muscular and dominant Hardy was rightfully playing within his age bracket. “People were like, ‘This kid is too old!'” Broomfield said. “‘The kid is too big!'”

But Hardy was always bigger than life. His aunt gave him the nickname “Mighty Man” when he was three-years-old after he lifted a large railroad stone in the family garden.

Hardy grew up in Oma, Mississippi — five stop signs, no traffic lights — crammed into a two-bedroom trailer with three siblings and his single mom. Money was tight, but his mother made sure her kids stayed busy and out of trouble. 

“It was kind of hard growing up, for real,” Hardy said.

The neighborhood wasn’t perfect, Broomfield said, so she enrolled her children in extracurricular activities at school — primarily sports — to keep them out of trouble. 

“I had to work a job here, a job there,” she said. “They always had something to do, they were always occupied. I always kept my kids at home and did activities with them to keep them out of the streets and kept them from being a drug dealer and all that stuff. That’s what kept them going. I never wanted to see a sad moment.”

Hardy became obsessed with football and was always on the move outside the home. 

“We didn’t have much, but she made her way,” Hardy said. “She taught me how to never give up. Whatever I put my mind to, I can do it, and whatever I do, be the best at it.”

Hardy moved into Sutton’s home as a sophomore in high school after Sutton discovered Hardy was having trouble securing transportation for physical therapy sessions to treat a shoulder injury. Sutton offered a spare bed and a vehicle for transport. He never left. Hardy refers to Sutton today as his “God Dad.”

“He’s a very kindhearted young man,” Sutton said. “He’s my son. He’s part of the family. What I’ve done for my kids, I do for him.”

Hardy worked at McDonald’s from the age of 15 until he enrolled in college, asking off work only for Friday night football games.

“It was hard but I made them know the value of life and having things,” Broomfield said. “Anything that you want, you have to work for.”

Hardy quickly became a superstar at Lawrence County High. Despite rushing for 2,442 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior, Hardy was barely a blip in recruiting circles — a 3-star, with only one FBS scholarship offer. He settled at Louisiana Monroe, and then exploded as Sun Belt Freshman of the Year with 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns. Proving people wrong has been the constant fuel.

“Every time I step on the field, I’m thinking I’ve got to prove something,” Hardy said. “I do have something to prove. I honestly feel like that.”

It didn’t take long for coaches at several power programs in the FBS to take notice, but it wasn’t just the numbers that impressed them; it was also how he picked up the yardage. Nearly 75% of his production was gained after contact (1,012 yards), similar to the superstars of the 2024 season, like Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty (75.9%).

When the transfer portal opened, Hardy’s phone lit up. He was slotted as the No. 6 transfer RB in the country, per 247Sports’ Cooper Petagna. Ole Miss pursued, and though he appeared destined to land in his home state, the Rebels cooled. Then Mizzou came calling.

“We want all-in,” Drinkwitz said.

The fit seemed perfect, and it’s proven true through five games. Mizzou utilizes an outside-zone scheme similar to ULM, making it conducive for short, stout running backs with a powerful frame and low center of gravity to excel.

“The way we run the outside zone, it’s really hard to get a frontal tackle on them, so if you’ve got good lower half, it’s really tough for those guys to get a good angle to tackle,” Drinkwitz said. “That’s been the key to our success.”

What surprised Mizzou after Hardy arrived on campus was his breakaway speed. It wasn’t until Mizzou’s strength and conditioning staff conducted speed tests in the summer that Drinkwitz became fully aware of how fast Hardy is in the open field. 

There was also the question of how he would adapt in the SEC. Hardy could break tackles in the Sun Belt, yes, but how would he perform against blue-chip talent?

“The first scrimmage we went live and the difficulty our defense had tackling him really surprised me,” Drinkwitz said. “They were not able to get him to the ground. After that, I said we’re not tackling this guy live anymore. I’ve seen enough.”

Hardy has been downright exhilarating to watch in a Mizzou uniform. He leads the nation in yards after contact with 551 (75.5%). In addition to leading the nation in rushing (730), he co-leads with nine touchdowns while averaging 7.1 yards per carry. 

“What we’ll all realize is the next seven weeks really are going to determine who the best players in the country are,” Drinkwitz said.  Everybody has a chance in non-conference games and in the preseason to establish and figure out who you are, but it’s the meat of the conference schedule for the Power Fours to figure out who separates themselves.

“He’s on the right track, and when you have as many yards after contact as he does, it’s important to keep him healthy throughout the week.”

College football’s rushing leaders as of Oct. 1 (Source: CFBstats.com)

Hardy spent the summer months in Columbia, Missouri, fishing and riding horses as he developed relationships with his new teammates. He brought one horse from Mississippi to a barn outside town so he could traverse dirt roads and open fields in the summer. Drinkwitz invited Hardy and Mizzou safety Santana Banner to fish the pond near his home, but the Homeowners Association booted Banner and Hardy from the pond’s banks.

“I think they would like it a lot more after he’s rushed for nearly 1,000 yards. Maybe those clowns will change the rules,” Drinkwitz said. “I don’t think he’s got any problem finding fishing holes now. He can fish where he wants.”

Hardy’s true passion is raising and riding horses. When his football career ends, he wants to be a veterinarian. Interestingly, Hardy was scared of horses until he was 14, when his grandfather reminded him that he had used to love riding when he was 4 years old. As a teenager, Hardy rode horses bareback near Sutton’s home, holding their mane to steer and control the beautiful beasts.

“He’s very confident in himself. He feels like there’s nothing he can’t do,” Sutton said. “Even at a young age, he wasn’t afraid. When he got out there, he played his heart out.”

For Hardy, football isn’t just a game — it’s a job, and a chance to change his family’s life. NIL money has already lifted burdens at home and every yard is part of a bigger mission.

“I always played football because I love the game, but when I got to college, I heard about the NIL stuff, and I finally had a reason to play: to make sure my mama never worked again,” he said. “That’s why I play with a chip on my shoulder against whatever they say. That’s why I try to get recognition. I look at it as a job. I don’t want to do anything else but football.”

Mighty Man is running for himself.

And for his home.