Brad White made no attempt to sugarcoat it.

"You can't replace Josh Allen," said Kentucky's new defensive coordinator during his Q&A session at the Wildcats' annual football "Media Day."

The message had all the subtlety of a crushing tackle that Allen seemed to record every time the Cats needed a big play last season.

In no uncertain terms, there is no one on UK's 2019 roster who can replicate the 88 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, and school-record 17 sacks that Allen -- now in NFL training camp after being drafted with the No. 7 pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars -- recorded in 2018.

No one who can do it on his own, that is.

White, who came to UK last season after spending time in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, shared a story from his experience at the pro level that might give Big Blue Nation hope that its defense won't suffer greatly without Allen's once-in-a-generation talent.

"Rob Mathis in 2013 led the NFL in sacks with 19.5," White said. "We were really excited about him coming back, (but) he had an injury in the off-season. So in 2014, we had to figure out a way to still get pressure. We ended up having more sacks in 2014 than we did in 2013, but it wasn't one guy having them. We had it sort of dispersed throughout the defense.

"We tried to bring it from everywhere, cause a little bit of confusion."

That's White's vision for the UK defense in 2019.

Although he loses Allen and the entire secondary from one of the best defenses that the Cats have fielded in school history, White's unit still has a substantial amount of talent returning this season to go along with some once highly regarded signees who are ready for their turn to make a name for themselves.

That, combined with some creative tweaks to the already unpredictable 3-4 front and new blitz packages for the linebackers and secondary, could help compensate for the production lost to graduation.

The defensive line, in particular, gives the Cats a strong foundation entering the new season. Ten players return there, including six who saw significant action last season. They are led by the player who could be UK's next great defender, junior nose tackle Quinton Bohanna (6-4, 361), who was a major disruptive force to the offensive line this spring.

Seniors Calvin Taylor and Phil Hoskins and juniors T.J. Carter and Kordell Looney are also back. Waiting in the wings are talented sophomores Marquan McCall and Davoan Hawkins, as well as freshmen Cavon Butler and Isaiah Gibson.

"We talk about you have to win up front in this league," White said. "I feel strongly about what coach (Derrick) LeBlanc has done with this group. They've worked hard this off-season. We're going to rely on those guys heavily."

It's the deepest group of D-Linemen that the program has ever featured, and that doesn't include hybrid defender Josh Paschal, one of the most physically gifted Cats, who has bounced back from a Melanoma scare and should be ready to go from the start this season.

UK head coach Mark Stoops announced on Friday that the 6-3, 280-pound Paschal will begin this season at Allen's old "Jack" linebacker position with Jamar "Boogie" Watson sliding over to the "Sam" spot to provide the defense a physically imposing front.

Behind them is another reason to feel good about the Cats' D.

Senior middle linebacker Kash Daniel -- the heart and soul of the unit last season -- is back after recording 84 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, and one sack. Never one to hold back during interviews with the media, Daniel best represents the swagger that has turned UK from one of the worst defenses in the SEC to one of the best last season.

Asked Friday if he was ever concerned about Daniel's brash statements, Stoops said he follows a simple rule.

"As long as they're coming from the right spot, I'm good with it," he said. "One thing I can't stand is false confidence, guys that run around, beat their chest when they haven't done the work. That I can't tolerate. But guys that have proven themselves, done the work, know what it takes, are coming from the right place, I'm good with them being them.

"Kash just needs to be Kash. He's authentic... He's very passionate. He cares about winning first and foremost. That's obvious to our team. He's a great leader, he's authentic. We'll continue to rely on him."