Nyeem Wartman-White, hailed by many as the next leader of Penn State’s defense, left the Temple game early with an undisclosed injury. After the game, it was announced that he would miss the rest of the season. The fans and the media are all certainly disappointed with the loss — Linebacker U’s projected next leader was gone before we could see what he was capable of. The loss hurts the most within the team, though, and safety Jordan Lucas announced before the Rutgers game that he will no longer wear jersey #9 this year, and will instead go with No. 5 in honor of Wartman-White.

Jordan Lucas will honor his injured teammate Nyeem Wartman-White by wearing his No. 5 tonight.

— Onward State (@OnwardState) September 19, 2015

Wartman-White displayed his graciousness in the spring as he added “White” to his last name in honor of his mother, and his teammates are paying it forward. This isn’t the first time this has happened, as Lucas honored Ryan Keiser last season by changing to #23.

The loss of lots of Penn State’s leadership from 2014 opened the door for new players to step up and maintain the program’s honorable mantra. Jordan Lucas is doing just that, and expect the new No. 5 to honor his teammate tonight in a big way.