ULM RB Ahmad Hardy Enters CFB Transfer Portal; Ranks 9th Nationally in Rushing Yards

Louisiana-Monroe true freshman running back Ahmad Hardy told On3.com's Pete Nakos on Tuesday that he plans to enter the transfer portal.

In his first and potentially only season at ULM, Hardy was a revelation for the Warhawks, rushing for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns on 237 carries, while also catching eight passes for 72 yards.

Hardy is ninth among all FBS players in rushing yardage this season for a Louisiana-Monroe team that finished 5-7 after going just 2-10 in 2023.

After starring at Lawrence County High School in Monticello, Mississippi, Hardy committed to play his college football at ULM. He was rated as only a 3-star prospect by 247Sports and was the 153rd-ranked running back in his class.

The 5'10", 205-pounder far exceeded expectations in his first season at the college football level, and he may now be in line to make an impact at a bigger school next season.

Louisiana-Monroe has neither finished with a winning record nor played in a bowl game since 2012, but after starting 5-1 this season, it seemed as though that drought would come to an end.

However, the Warhawks finished the season on a six-game losing streak and failed to gain bowl eligibility.

While that was undoubtedly devastating after such a hot start, losing a player of Hardy's caliber will likely be an even bigger blow to a program that looked to be on the upswing.

Per On3.com, 287 players have already entered the transfer portal, but there figures to be far more to come.

Nakos reported that 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered the transfer portal during the 2023-24 academic year, which is about 25 percent of all FBS players.

The transfer portal will officially open on Dec. 9, meaning teams will soon be hard at work building their rosters for next season.