Look no further than the rushing attack to find the identity of Missouri football in the Eli Drinkwitz Era. In three of his six seasons at the head of the program, a Missouri tailback has eclipsed 1,600 yards, been a Doak Walker award finalist and led the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards. That doesn't happen by chance. The 2025 season was arguably the best rushing attack of them all, racking up 2,968 yards and 31 touchdowns on the ground, both of which were the program's highest total since the 2013 season, when four different Tigers rushed for 500 or more yards and four or more touchdowns. Leading the esteemed 2025 ground game was breakout Louisiana transfer Ahmad Hardy, who broke Missouri's single-season rushing record. His wingman, Jamal Roberts, tacked on an additional 753 yards and six touchdowns. Both Hardy and Roberts are returning for the 2026 season, but due to Hardy's injury status, the state of the running back room is much more of a question mark than it was in the spring. While the room is loaded with talent, has quite a rich history of recent production and returns both key members from a season ago, the rushing attack could play out a little different come fall. Here's everything to know about Missouri's tailbacks in 2026. Projected Depth ChartStarter: Ahmad Hardy (when healthy)Backups: Jamal Roberts, Xai'Shaun EdwardsDepth: Malae Fonoti, Maxwell Warner, Preston HatfieldPlayers lost: Marquise Davis, Tavorus Jones, Brendan HaygoodThe CoachSept 27, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers running backs coach Curtis Luper wears an orange bow tie during Tiger Walk. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSIOne of the main factor's in Missouri's success in the ground game is running backs coach Curtis Luper, who's been in the position for all six of Drinkwitz's seasons with the program and is one of the best running back coaches in the nation. Luper also coached alongside Drinkwitz at Auburn in 2010 and 2011. "He's been there from the beginning," Drinkwitz said of Luper at SEC Media Days. "He's seen the highs, the lows. I'm sure we get on each other's nerves at times, but he's Mr. Consistent. He's a guy that I can really count on. I know he's going to handle our room. You look at the production of our room, wether you're talking about Larry Rountree III, or Tyler Badie, or Cody Schrader, to Nate Noel, to Ahmad Hardy, to Jamal Roberts. He's done an excellent job of getting production at that position." Since his arrival to Columbia, three Tigers have broken the single-season rushing record: Tyler Badie in 2021, Cody Schrader in 2023 and Hardy in 2025. Larry Rountree III also eclipsed 1,000 yards in 2020 and made his way to the NFL the draft after. Before his time at Missouri, Luper served as the running backs coach and co-offensive coordinator at TCU from 2013-19. He coached two 1,000-yard rushers, led four offenses to 2,400 or more rushing yards and helped lead the Horned Frogs to a Big 12 Championship in 2014. “Coach Loop is a great guy; he pushes every day," Hardy said of Luper early in the 2025 season. "Even when we do wrong, we find a way to fix it. His personality, he just comes ready to work every day and we just come ready to work for him every day.”The StarterOct 11, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy (29) runs the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first quarter of the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectHardy's made quite the compelling case as the best tailback in program history, and he's only spent one season as a Tiger. After racking up 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns, along with leading the nation in yards after contact and ranking first in Power Five with 97 missed tackles forced, Hardy decided to stick around at Missouri for the 2026 season. He did, however, face an unexpected setback earlier this offseason, as the star running back suffered a gunshout wound May 10 in Laurel, Mississippi, and underwent surgery shortly after. He's spent the majority of the offseason recovering in Columbia, and Drinkwitz provided a positive update on the tailback's health at SEC Media Days on Monday. "Ahmad has been medically cleared from the bullet that struck him," Drinkwitz said. "He is on the road to recovery. The bullet did strike a bone in his body. That has been fully healed and cleared. Today was his first day back towards a full recovery."Missouri does believe that Hardy will make a full recovery and will play this season. The matter of Hardy's injury status has shifted from "Will he play?" to "When will he play?" and "What will he look like upon returning?" Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz addresses the media Thursday in the Hyatt Regency during SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala.