One Missouri Star Who Could Be a Problem for Kansas Football

Missouri has several offensive weapons that could give Kansas football problems this Saturday in the Border Showdown.

Wide receivers Kevin Coleman Jr. and Marquis Johnson, along with dual-threat quarterback Beau Pribula, give the Tigers a respectable passing attack. However, it is Mizzou’s ground game that really sets the offense apart thanks to UL Monroe transfer Ahmad Hardy.

Ahmad Hardy Is a Bona Fide Superstar

The 5-foot-10, 210-pound back might be the most dangerous offensive player KU will face all season.

Hardy is a wrecking ball in open space, and his frame resembles that of former Boise State star Ashton Jeanty. He may not be the tallest or biggest player on the field, but he plays like he is.

As a true freshman last year, Hardy rushed for over 1,000 yards after contact alone, the third-most in the nation behind Jeanty and Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo.

He averaged 5.7 yards per carry and scored 13 touchdowns across 12 games in 2024, and he didn't show any signs of slowing down in his debut in Columbia. In Week 1 against Central Arkansas, Hardy ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries, showing why he was considered the top running back in the transfer portal.

Hardy is fierce with the ball in his hands, yet elusive and has breakaway speed once he finds open space. There are very few players like him in the country, and he will eventually find himself in the NFL in the future.

Game planning for a player of his caliber won't be an easy task for defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald, especially given the Jayhawks' current injury situation. Kansas will be without several key players up the middle, such as linebackers Bangally Kamara, Jayson Gilliom, and Joseph Sipp Jr. and defensive linemen Gage Keys and Dylan Brooks.

It doesn't make things easier when a defense has to account for Pribula, a quarterback who was almost strictly used for his legs during his time at Penn State.

KU must find a middle ground between containing Hardy in the backfield while also remembering what Pribula can do outside the pocket.

Realistically, Kansas is not going to erase Hardy from the equation with its personnel, regardless of how well DJ Withers and Tommy Dunn Jr. have looked so far.

The best shot the Jayhawks have to slow Hardy down is to stack the box on early downs and focus on making routine tackles, because after contact is where he truly becomes dangerous.