Columbia, Mo. — Mizzou's offense struggled to support one of the nation's best defenses in 2025, but it was to no fault of its elite ground game. 

The Tigers rushed for the 10th-most yards (2,968) in the nation along with 31 touchdowns under the guidance well-renowned running backs coach Curtis Luper. Mizzou's rushing attack has been elite more often than not since the 2021 season — running backs Tyler Badie (2021), Cody Schrader (2023) and Ahmad Hardy (2025) have each led the Southeastern conference in rushing yards. 

The Tigers could have a repeat leader for the first time under Luper in wake of Hardy's return for the 2026 season. Hardy, Luper and the rest of the members of the rushing attack will look to keep the position group among the best in the nation. 

You can't talk about Mizzou's rushing attack without mentioning Hardy. Honestly, it's hard to discuss college running backs in general without mentioning Hardy. He presents a strong case for the best running back in the nation next season, as he was a Doak Walker Award finalist alongside Jeremiyah Love, who's now headed to the NFL, and Kewan Lacy, a former Tiger now at Ole Miss. 

Hardy led all of Power Four and ranked No. 2 in the nation with 1,649 rushing yards and punched in 16 touchdowns, tying for the fifth-most ground touchdowns in the nation. He also led the nation with 1,181 yards after contact and was second with 97 missed tackles forced. 

There's reasonable expectation for Mizzou's elite rushing attack to hold up with Hardy back at the helm to take the majority of the carries. 

Many were initially surprised by Roberts' workload in the 2025 season — he out-snapped Hardy in seven of their 13 games — but were soon to realize his necessity to the offense. 

Roberts rushed for 753 yards and six touchdowns last season along with blossoming into a reliable pass protector in the backfield. His ability to both be consistent on the ground and protect the quarterback made for a perfect complement to Hardy, as Roberts could do the dirty work while Hardy stuck to running. 

Roberts also allowed Hardy to catch a breather by keeping the offense afloat when the Doak Walker finalist was on the sidelines. While firmly in the second-string position, Roberts is less of a backup and more of a complement, similar to Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery of the Detroit Lions. 

Mizzou targeted Hardy as a 1,000 yard rusher from the G5 level in the 2025 offseason, and that panned out perfectly. While not exactly the same, the addition of Edwards in 2026 is in a similar manner — Edwards rushed for 1,019 yards and 12 touchdowns on 5.2 yards per carry during his redshirt freshman season at Houston Christian. 

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound tailback held a plethora of Power Four offers, including Mizzou, but ultimately opted for a bigger role at FCS-based Houston Christian before eventually landing with the Tigers the past offseason. 

While firmly behind Hardy and likely behind Roberts, Edwards can carve out a role for himself in the Tigers offense as a third-string running back by providing a change of pace and athletic burst to the ground game. Given his youth, Edwards role with the Tigers will likely increase over time — not only is his addition helpful for the short term, he looks to be a long-term component of Luper's room.

Edwards wasn't the only redshirt freshman tailback the Tigers brought in — Malae Fonoti caught their eye and committed to the team in the weeks following Edwards' commitment. 

Fonoti played a contributing role to the Montana Grizzlies' high-caliber FCS offense, totaling 184 yards and four touchdowns on 48 carries, providing capability in short-yardage situations. Fonoti also rushed for 234 yards and one touchdown on 36 carries in the 2024 season. 

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound redshirt freshman can provide deep-end depth and insurance to the Tigers offense should injuries or wear-and-tear arise. Like Edwards, he could be more of a long-term addition rather than an immediate contributor. 

Warner signed with Mizzou as a three-star running back out of Illinois and the highest-ranked running back in the Tigers' 2026 class, per 247sports. He stands at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds and projects to be a future contributor in Luper's room. 

However, there's nothing stopping Warner from climbing up the depth chart in his first season and jump Fonoti, or even Edwards — none of the three have earned their stripes at Mizzou, but particularly Fonoti. Eli Drinkwitz and Luper also haven't been afraid to give true freshman snaps in less competitive situations — see Marquise Davis last season. 

While his impact in year one may be small, Warner should be a major player in the future of the Tigers' run game. 

Hatfield signed to Mizzou in January after emerging on to radars late following his monster performance in the Missouri Class 6 State Championship game, rushing for a record 457 yards to bring his Lee's Summit Tigers a state championship. 

The three-star running back has experience all over the field, both in the ground game, receiving game and even playing some wildcat quarterback in his senior season.

Standing at 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, Hatfield is on the smaller side and may not be ready for the physicality of the SEC, but he could make an impact on special teams and be a long-term depth option for his local program. 

Marquise Davis, Tavorus Jones and Brendon Haygood each hit the transfer portal in the 2025 offseason. The trio combined for 243 yards and three touchdowns on 48 carries last season, providing depth for Hardy and Roberts. 

While Jones was a long-time Tiger, and Davis and Haygood held promise as four-star prospects, none of the three made significant impacts to the ground game in 2025, and won't be sorely missed in the 2025 season.

RB1: Ahmad Hardy
RB2: Jamal Roberts
RB3: Marquise Davis
RB4: Tavorus Jones
RB5: Brendon Haygood

RB1: Ahmad Hardy
RB2: Jamal Roberts
RB3: Xai'Shaun Edwards
RB4: Malae Fonoti
RB5: Maxwell Warner
RB6: Preston Hatfield