(Photo credit: Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy has been medically cleared for football activities just over two months after being shot in the upper leg, head coach Eli Drinkwitz announced Monday.

Hardy was shot while attending an outdoor concert on May 10 in Laurel, Miss.

'We anticipate he will make a recovery, but what that recovery will look like after having a bullet strike you is still to be determined,' Drinkwitz said Monday at SEC Media Days. 'We do not know exactly what the return to play progression is because there's not a lot of literature to that on this.

'We do anticipate this return to play protocol could take anywhere from five-to-eight weeks, and at the end of the eight weeks, we still don't know what the recovery will be -- is he the same Ahmad Hardy as he was last year? My anticipation and what I've seen and the way he's attacked his rehab, he's going to be a better Ahmad Hardy than he was before.'

Drinkwitz said Hardy likely learned an important lesson during the ordeal.

'I think there's a youthfulness feel of invincibility for all of these guys right now from 18 to 22 (years) old, and they're empowered more now than they've ever been before, whether that's financially or influence,' Drinkwitz said. 'I think for Ahmad, there was that moment there where he realized he was mortal, and there could be really bad outcomes if you don't make the right decisions consistently.

'It was an unfortunate accident, incident and it wasn't something he had any intention, nobody did. When you go to a concert, you don't expect to be a victim of a random act of violence, especially gun violence. But I've been very, very proud of the way he has approached his recovery. This was a great opportunity for Ahmad to learn and for our student-athletes to learn. Also a great reminder there's no place for gun violence in this world and that we need to do a better job of policing gun violence.'

Missouri opens the 2026 season on Sept. 3 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Columbia, Mo. That is approximately 6 1/2 weeks into the recovery timeline.

Hardy, 20, is a Mississippi native. He began his career at Louisiana-Monroe, where he was named the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year after he led the conference in rushing yards (1,351) and rushing touchdowns (13) on 237 attempts.

He transferred to Missouri, where he ranked second among FBS players with 1,649 rushing yards last season, a mark that broke the Tigers' single-season record. He earned SEC Newcomer of the Year honors, was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award and a consensus All-American while scoring 16 TDs and averaging 6.4 yards on his 256 rushing attempts.

--Oklahoma not noticing newfound national respect

A year ago, there were some valid questions about Brett Venables' future at Oklahoma.

After 6-7 campaigns in two of his first three seasons, the Sooners needed a breakthrough in 2025 for their coach's sake. They delivered just that, finishing a 10-2 regular season, earning the No. 8 seed in the College Football Playoff and hosting a first-round game they lost to Alabama.

Now, Venables enters Year 5 at Oklahoma on a cooler seat and with higher expectations. Quarterback John Mateer is back and fully recovered from the throwing hand injury that limited him last season. A number of key pieces from the Sooners' stellar defense are also back this fall.

The coach is trying not to give any of that attention much mind.

'We focus on things that we can control,' Venables said. 'Do you ever use that as a motivation for a guy to maybe humble a guy? Absolutely. But at the end of the day this is a game of performance, this is a game that's about the work, and this is a game where it's decided on the field.'

His Sooners will get to prove their worth early in the season, playing at Michigan, at Georgia and facing Texas in Dallas in their first five games of the season.

--Will Stein brings extreme confidence to Kentucky

When it comes to Kentucky, football isn't the first sport that comes to mind.

But with the confidence that first-year coach Will Stein is bringing to the Wildcats, he certainly believes that will change.

Stein, who rose to prominence as Oregon's offensive coordinator the last three seasons, takes over a program that has won double-digit games just twice since 1977.

As the 36-year-old Louisville native took the podium Monday, he took the opportunity presented by a reporter asking him why he believes he'll win big in Lexington to demonstrate his strong self-belief.

'I think because of me, to be honest,' Stein said. 'Because of me. I think I know what it takes. I've seen it at the highest levels. I know what it takes to recruit at this level. You've just got to believe, man. You've just got to put the ball down and play. There's not really (much) else to be said.'

--Field Level Media