ONE of the most talented players in college football is set to return to play after a horror injury saga.

Missouri All-American running back Ahmad Hardy is set to make his seaon debut this weekend after suffering a gunshot wound in May.

Hardy attended a concert on May 10 at a biker club in Laurel, Mississippi, when a bullet struck a bone in his leg.

He immediately underwent emergency surgery before returning to Missouri for rehab.

It was a massive blow to Hardy and Missouri, as he was one of the best running backs in college football in his first two seasons.

As a freshman at the University of Louisiana, Monroe he ran for 1,351 yards with 13 touchdowns.

And he followed that up with 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns as a sophomore after transferring to Missouri.

It was expected that he would keep up that form and become a potential first-round NFL Draft pick, but the gunshot wound derailed his season.

Hardy missed the first seven games of the campaign for the Tigers, but he is finally back in action.

He won’t start, but he is expected to get a good amount of carries.

Head coach Eli Drinkwitz is hoping to be cautious with his star running back, as he said there is no well-known process for a return from a gunshot wound.

Hardy’s debut will come in the matchup against Arkansas on Saturday at 7.45pm ET.

College football top 25 rankings

BELOW is the AP College Football Top 25 rankings of the country's best programs.

1. Miami (7-0)
2. Ohio State (6-1)
3. Georgia (6-1)
4. Indiana (7-1)
5. Notre Dame (6-1)
6. Utah (7-0)
7. UCLA (7-0)
8. BYU (6-1)
9. Kentucky (7-1)
10. Alabama (6-2)
11. Texas (5-2)
12. Ole Miss (5-2)
13. Texas Tech (6-1)
14. Wake Forest (6-1)
15. LSU (6-2)
16. Tennessee (6-2)
17. Florida (5-2)
18. Houston (6-2)
19. SMU (6-1)
20. Boise State (6-1)
21. Northwestern (6-1)
22. Arizona (6-1)
23. Missouri (5-2)
24. Oklahoma State (5-2)
25. Wisconsin (5-2)

*Rankings released after Week 8