Kentucky LB Josh Forrest was the leader of the Wildcats defense in 2015, but he’s moving on to pursue the NFL following the expiration of his eligibility.

So who is going to step into that role for Kentucky in 2016?

According to a report from The Courier-Journal, it may very well be a player that didn’t play a down for the Wildcats last season.

Former Nebraska LB Courtney Love sat out the 2015 season as a part of his transfer to Kentucky, but the Wildcats are now ready to unleash what they hope to be their next big defensive playmaker.

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops had some very strong words about the role Love could play on this team during a uniform unveiling on Friday:

“He’s very important,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said at the uniform show. “As you can see, him being a leader here and on our leadership council within our team and things like that, for a guy that hasn’t played a snap yet on the field, it tells you about his leadership qualities and they type of person he is. He’s had a big impact in our program without being on the field during games.”

Love played in 12 games for Nebraska in 2014, but registered just six tackles. That’s a far cry from the 93 that Forrest recorded for the Wildcats last season.

But even if he’s not able to match the on-field production, the Wildcats are hopefully that Love is up to the task of filling the leadership void.

“Definitely focused on that quite a bit, because we lost a lot of seniors on defense with Josh Forrest – he was the captain of the defense – and Melvin Lewis and those guys,” Love said. “I think I can step right in and take a leadership role and help lead this defense.”