New Delhi, Oct. 11 -- Ahmad Hardy has taken the college football world by storm in his first season with the Missouri Tigers, emerging as a leading Heisman Trophy contender in 2025. Transferring from Louisiana-Monroe, the sophomore running back has become one of the top rushers. As Missouri are facing No. 8 Alabama on October 11, Hardy's rise demands attention.

Born and raised in Oma, Mississippi, a small town of about 5,000, Ahmad Hardy grew up in challenging circumstances. Raised by his single mother, Adrianne Broomfield, alongside three siblings in a modest two-bedroom trailer, Hardy found solace in football.

"Every time I would get up for work, he would be the only kid (awake), like, 'Mama, you going to work?" Broomfield told the Co...