LEAD STORY: Hardy, Green Give Missouri Double Representation on On3 All-America Team
Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy landed on the first team of On3's 2026 preseason All-America team released Monday, headlining a strong showing for the Tigers as preseason honors continue rolling out ahead of Week 1. Offensive tackle Cayden Green joined him on the list as a second-team selection, giving Missouri representation on both sides of its offensive identity.
The accolades back up the numbers. The 5-10, 210-pound Hardy led the nation with 1,181 yards after contact last season, and ESPN's Chris Low called him the best running back in college football. Missouri statistically led the SEC in rushing yards per game in 2025 — a first for the Tigers — and returns 90 percent of the rushing production from that room, per Rock M Nation.
The one caveat: Hardy's availability for the start of the season remains in question as he works back from a leg injury suffered in May. He has been medically cleared to play but did not practice during the first week of fall camp as Missouri eases him back into football shape. If Hardy is on the field and healthy, the Tigers have a legitimate case to lead the conference in rushing for a second straight year.
QUICK HITS
- Ole Miss opens Week 2 of camp with focus on offensive identity. The Rebels moved into their second week of fall practice in Oxford, continuing to build toward the 2026 season opener against Louisville. The emphasis, per the practice report: developing an identity and maximizing the talent spread across the offense.
- SEC Network talks quarterbacks and the CFP drought. SEC Now's Chris Doering revealed his QB confidence rankings, listing the five conference quarterbacks he trusts most heading into the season, while Doering and Dari Nowkhah broke down which SEC teams are capable of ending the league's College Football Playoff title drought.
- Texas' Cam Coleman gets the highlight treatment. Doering also ranked the most notable catches of the Longhorn wideout's career for SEC Now — a reminder of the kind of playmaking Texas returns on the perimeter.
- Mizzou volleyball is headed to Wrigley Field. Coming off the Tigers' Black and Gold scrimmage, sophomore Paige Felder told reporters at fall sports media day that the outdoor match against Nebraska at Wrigley is "definitely a dream." Several position battles remain open ahead of the season opener against Western Illinois.
- Missouri cross country returns nearly everyone from a breakthrough fall. The Tigers come into 2026 fully healthy, returning almost the entire women's roster that finished top five in the SEC and reached nationals. Tulsa transfer Evyn Humphrey, a Wentzville native who qualified individually for the national meet last season, headlines the newcomers. Columbia hosts both the Gans Creek Classic (Sept. 25) and the SEC Championships (Oct. 30), and the program's stated goal is getting both the men's and women's teams to nationals for the first time in 27 years.
PORTAL WATCH
Quiet morning on the transfer front — no new SEC portal entries or commitments to report in the last 12 hours. With fall camps in full swing across the conference, roster movement has largely settled until attrition or injury shakes something loose.
One portal-adjacent note from outside the conference: former NFL quarterback Derek Carr is joining UCLA as a special adviser, per ESPN — a staffing wrinkle worth filing away with the Bruins on future SEC nonconference schedules.
RECRUITING BUZZ
No new commitments overnight. On the diamond, the 2026 Area Code Games wrapped up day four with a pair of shutouts and a last-inning comeback, according to D1Baseball — a showcase always worth monitoring for future SEC baseball signees.
GAMES TO WATCH
No games on today's SEC slate. The countdown to football's Week 1 continues, with fall camps past the one-week mark across the league and season openers — including Ole Miss vs. Louisville — drawing closer. Volleyball and cross country seasons are also just around the corner, with Missouri's spike-and-stride previews above offering the first real look at both.
