Kentucky's secondary posted some of the best pass defense numbers for any secondary in college football. For that to happen after the mass exodus the year before, some players really had to step up.

One of those players was Cedrick Dort.

Like Terry Wilson, he wears the No. 3. Dort is the subject of today's edition of Cats Illustrated's Roster Rundown.

Background: Dort was not one of the higher-rated recruits in the recruiting class that he was a part of when he arrived at Kentucky, but there were a number of other Power Five programs that had wanted to land him. It wasn't realistic for such a younger player to get playing time in a senior-laden secondary early in his career but in his first opportunity at really extended action in 2019, he stepped up.

Brandin Echols is the cornerback who played the most for UK in '19 but Dort was right behind him, splitting the starting duties and snaps with Jamari Brown.

2020 Outlook: Earlier this offseason UK defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale told Cats Illustrated that Dort has found more of a voice, which is to say he's taking on a greater share of the leadership responsibilities. That makes sense as he's becoming one of the older players on the defense and has been in the program for a long time now.

Because Dort performed at a solid level last year he will be a part of the plan going forward in 2020. But there is a lot of competition at the cornerbacks spots. Now there's not only Echols and Brown, but LSU transfer Kelvin Joseph is eligible.

For that reason the overall number of snaps played might not change too much but because so many defensive backs are needed Dort will still have plenty of opportunities to shine.

He will also have a big leadership role on this season's defense.