Missouri's Ahmad Hardy will practice this week for the first time since he was shot in May

Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy will return to practice this week, coach Eli Drinkwitz announced Sunday. It will be the first time the consensus All-American has practiced since he was shot at a concert in Mississippi in May. He has not played this season.

"After consulting with our medical team, Ahmad Hardy will return to practice this week," Drinkwitz wrote on social media. "Our medical staff will determine his return to game action."

Practice and games are separate questions. Drinkwitz said earlier that he wanted to see two weeks of full-speed practice from Hardy before he would consider playing him.

Missouri, coming off a bye, is 5-2, with both losses in SEC play. The Tigers play at Arkansas on Saturday, then face No. 11 Texas at home, No. 3 Georgia on the road and No. 9 Kentucky at home.

Hardy, a junior, ran for 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. At SEC media days in July, Drinkwitz said Hardy had been medically cleared from the bullet wound, but there were few updates on his status until Sunday.

In Hardy's absence, Jamal Roberts took over as the starter and leads the SEC at 123.86 rushing yards per game.