The Ole Miss Rebels kicked off their open spring practice Saturday with news that cornerback Mike Hilton broke his thumb and will be out for the remainder of the spring as a result.

Hilton was projected to start at cornerback again this season following the departure of reigning SEC interceptions leader Senquez Golson for the NFL. His absence will give the Rebels an opportunity see what they have in cornerbacks Tee Shepard and Tony Bridges, the top junior college cornerbacks from the 2014 and 2015 recruiting classes, respectively. Neither has taken a snap at the FBS level for their careers.

Blevins’ tweets above also indicate the Rebels are facing injury troubles at the tailback position, as Jordan Wilkins recovers from a sprained MCL and Eugene Brazley rests after suffering a concussion. While injuries are never a good thing, injuries at the tailback position could be especially costly for the Rebels, who are aiming to replace recent transfers I’Tavius Mathers and Mark Dodson.

With Mathers and Dodson at new schools and Brazely and Wilkins on the shelf, for now (the injuries shouldn’t affect either player come the fall), only one of the Rebels top six rushers from a year ago remains healthy in spring ball: leading rusher Jaylen Walton.