Mike Hilton breaks his thumb, out for the rest of spring practice

The injury bug is apparently still hanging around in Oxford. Ole Miss senior defensive back Mike Hilton has broken his thumb in spring practice, according to OMSpirit's Ben Garrett. It has since been surgically repaired and he will miss the remainder of spring practice in order to recover in time for the September 5th date with UT-Martin.

So what does this mean for the Landsharks? Hilton, who started at corner last season, is moving to safety to help fill the void left by Cody Prewitt's departure. You might think this will be a large issue due to the fact that he was working at a new position, but defensive coordinator Dave Wommack and secondary coach Jason Jones have always spoken highly about Hilton's football IQ and ability to learn on the fly. I think the bigger issue is not having his leadership on the field, mainly to help out the younger players who are working their way into bigger roles this season (i.e. C.J. Hampton, C.J. Moore, Alvin Moore and D.K. Buford).

With Hilton out, look for Hampton to challenge returning starter Trae Elston for reps on the third level. Elston has the experience and trust of Wommack but we all know the potential that Hampton brings to the table due to his lofty ranking coming out of high school and the glimpses of good things he showed in mop-up duty last season.

Garrett also reported that sophomore running backs Jordan Wilkins and Eugene Brazley are a little banged up. Wilkins suffered a sprained MCL and should be OK with some rest and recovery and Brazley suffered a concussion and will be taking a break for precautionary reasons.