The health status of Ole Miss cornerback Tee Shepard remains uncertain after the Clarion-Ledger’s Hugh Kellenberger reported Monday that an MRI of Shepard’s big toe has been sent to Birmingham for a second opinion.

Shepard injured a tendon in the toe last week, and if the tendon is found to be completely torn it would likely end his season before it begins. However, if the tendon is only partially torn there is a history of players postponing surgery until after the season and playing through the pain in the meantime.

The Rebels could get news on Shepard’s status as early as Tuesday, but no timetable has been firmly put in place.

Shepard is a former five-star high school recruit who originally committed to Notre Dame and enrolled in school in the spring of 2012 before leaving the Fighting Irish program that summer. He spent last season at Holmes Community College in Mississippi before flipping his commitment from Mississippi State to Ole Miss on National Signing Day earlier this year.

It is important to note Shepard has maintained his redshirt year in addition to his final three years of NCAA eligibility, and could miss the upcoming season with losing a year of eligibility down the line.

Shepard’s injury comes less than two weeks after he was ruled academically eligible by the NCAA for the upcoming season.