Judging by a survey of Alabama players that have met with the media this week, neither the offense or defense walked away the winner in the first scrimmage but there were some other key takeaways from Saturday.

One of those is on defense, where Tosh Lupoi is working to develop a lot of new players ahead of the season opener on September 1. That side of the ball will rely heavily on the veterans for leadership, including linebacker Mack Wilson.

"I feel like we have 10 other guys on the defense who can be leaders and who could be vocal on the field and who could even help me call the plays on defense," Wilson said. "Playing the Mike linebacker at this university is something that Coach Saban looks for to being a signal-caller so it's something I take pride in."

He might downplay his role as a middle linebacker, but Wilson said he's been working with the young players on understanding the defense and playing fast. One guy he's kept an eye on is newcomer Brandon Kaho, who just arrived in Tuscaloosa last week after getting a release from the Washington Huskies.

"I feel like he's got potential to be a great player. I was watching as we were doing individual (drills). He seems to have high energy. He seems to be happy. He said he was going through a lot and you know we're just trying to make him feel at home and just trying to take him in and show him how we do things at Alabama."

Check out the video at the top of the page to hear more from Wilson on the defense's progress, seeing Kobe Bryant, and working under inside linebackers coach Pete Golding.

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