Less than two hours before kickoff on Saturday, three former Crimson Tide captains mashed cleats and hands into wet concrete in front of Denny Chimes, forever cementing their legacies on Alabama’s campus.

Two of those former players, quarterback AJ McCarron and linebacker C.J. Mosley, were widely regarded as the unquestioned leaders of the offense and defense, respectively, in 2013. Questions now remain as to who will take the reins on both sides of the ball this season.

A-Day offered no real answers to the question at quarterback, but the defensive front seven had a resounding answer to the doubts expressed by many on Saturday, as the unit had a field day with the offensive line and inexperienced quarterbacks.

“From the front seven standpoint, I feel a lot further along,” coach Nick Saban said. “There’s maybe not quite enough depth at inside linebacker, but there will be opportunities for younger guys to develop at that position.”

(See also “Alabama offense, special teams struggle in A-Day game“)

One of the critical personnel members at inside linebacker is junior Reggie Ragland, who is expected to take Mosley’s position opposite senior Trey DePriest.

“I feel like we’re a little more focused, and I think we have a little more speed on the defense,” Ragland said of the defense as a whole. “But we still have to keep coming in and doing better everyday.”

Ragland finished with 10 total tackles to lead the White team on Saturday, with an interception to boot. He also finished first on his squad with 2.5 tackles-for-loss, showing his pass-rushing ability – something Saban had expressed concern about regarding the entire front seven earlier in the spring.

“I’m not satisfied with the way any of them are playing, if you want to know the truth about it,” Saban said. “They’ve got to be more aggressive, physical, play with better leverage, hold the point better, rush the passer better. I didn’t think that last year was one of our best years up front, and even though we have a couple new players competing and Dalvin Tomlinson back, I think all of them have a ways to go.”

Another junior linebacker, Dillon Lee, led the crimson team with nine total tackles. Lee is competing for the outside spot left vacant when Adrian Hubbard chose to enter the NFL Draft.

(See also “A-Day to answer preseason questions“)

Jonathan Allen led all defensive players with four tackles for loss, while linebacker Ryan Anderson led the Crimson Tide with three sacks. Anderson and Tim Williams, both reserves, had 3.5 and three tackles for loss, respectively.

The offensive line struggled to contain the pass-rush for the handful of quarterbacks vying for the starting job. The few times either offense was able to move the ball, especially in the first half, was by exploiting soft spots in the young secondary and handing the ball off to veteran running backs T.J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake.

“The positives would be our communication skills have grown as a whole,” safety Landon Collins said. “At the safety position, at the linebacker position, along the defensive line – all of us are communicating well as a unit. Our defensive line has done a great job.”

The front seven even got the ball rolling with the first points scored on Saturday, as defensive lineman D.J. Pettway returned a deflected pass 29 yards for a touchdown. Ragland and fellow linebacker Xzavier Dickson accounted for the two other picks for the white team. Freshman cornerback Tony Brown accounted for the crimson team’s lone interception.

Call it more focus, like Ragland, or better communication, as Collins said, but the Crimson Tide front seven’s potential was on full display Saturday.

(See also “Sloppy play on both sides of ball dampens A-Day game, reveals need for improvement“)