Just so we get this out of the way now:

Mitch Griffis isn’t eligible for this list.

Wake Forest is going to have several players in expanded roles this season and the one that’s going to attract more attention than every other one (combined) is quarterback.

But that’s kind of boring and we’ll have plenty of time to discuss Wake’s first-year-but-not-first-time starter at QB as we launch into the time of year that every team thinks it’ll compete for a conference championship.

For the Deacons to do that, it’ll take more than a QB stepping up to get them there. So let’s talk about some of those guys who are primed to take steps forward.

A few quick notes: This is hardly scientific. In the same breath I’ll crow about having Jahmal Banks on last year’s list, I’ll point out that Jaylen Hudson struggled to find footing at linebacker and is now a defensive end.

There’s a meaty gray area, but I think of a breakout candidate as someone who’s been in the program for at least a season, preferably more than one, and hasn’t done much in his time on the field because of injuries and/or lack of opportunity.

Here are five Deacons primed for breakout seasons:

Position: Defensive tackle.

Size: 6-1, 285.

Eligibility: Two seasons remaining.

Career stats: 31 games | 56 tackles, 11½ TFLs, 1½ sacks.

Depth chart: The question isn’t how many more snaps will Pointer play compared to last season (when he played 266, per Pro Football Focus); it’s a matter of how many he can take.

That’s the situation at defensive tackle for the Deacons after losing Kobie Turner, Dion Bergan Jr. and Tyler Williams. That trio combined for 1,550 snaps last season, and Pointer is the only returning interior lineman who played more than 30 snaps.

The burden won’t be squarely on Pointer, as the Deacons added Bryce Ganious (Villanova) and Nick Helbig (Wesleyan University) from the transfer portal and could get developmental jumps from Justin Williams and Isaiah Chaney.

Pointer, though, has shown the most explosiveness and potential and has been in the defensive line rotation.

Overview: If the above section reads like Pointer is the pick here by default, it’s not supposed to.

That’s a way of saying: Even without the departures of all three tackles in front of him, Pointer has flashed enough during the past two seasons and showed enough in the spring to warrant a spot on this list.

You’ve got to remember that Pointer was a gem of a find in the transfer portal out of Louisiana-Monroe, coming to the Deacons from a program that was 0-10 in 2020. His growth in the past two seasons has come from playing and learning behind that trio mentioned above, plus Miles Fox.

Pointer is the next in line at a position that’s produced some under-the-radar stars for Wake Forest in the past several seasons. Defensive line coach Dave Cohen knows how to push players to reach their best versions and the pick here is that’s what happens with Pointer this season.

Position: Running back.

Size: 5-9, 197.

Eligibility: Three seasons remaining.

Career stats: 10 games | 14 carries, 57 yards; 1 catch, minus-5 yards.

Depth chart: Justice Ellison is entrenched as Wake’s starting running back and Claiborne is part of a battle for the No. 2 spot.

The Deacons always want to have a second option and will play a third if needed. That means Claiborne will battle Will Towns, classmate Tate Carney and freshmen David Egbe and Drew Pickett to fall in line behind Ellison.

Overview: You’ve only got one carry from a game that showed Claiborne’s home run capability.

Thirty-two of Claiborne’s 57 yards last season came late against Boston College. But it was a snapshot of the dynamic runner he is and, with the departures of Christian Turner and Quinton Cooley, the avenue opened up for Claiborne to get a lot more than 10 garbage-time carries in his sophomore season.

As tends to be the case for most of Wake’s young running backs, Claiborne’s pass blocking ability is going to dictate how often he’s on the field. Warren Ruggiero’s offense relies on having a running back who’s able to pick up middle pressure.

If Claiborne has improved in that regard from last season (and the spring), his running ability will make him an easy choice as Wake’s No. 2 running back.

Position: Linebacker.

Size: 6-1, 230.

Eligibility: Three seasons remaining.

Career stats: 16 games | 41 tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 interception, 1 fumble forced.

Depth chart: It hasn’t happened overnight, but it does feel like Wake Forest went from having little linebacker depth to being comfortable in a short span.

Most defensive alignments call for the Deacons to play two linebackers, and in most situations one of those is bound to be returning starter Chase Jones.

Hazen is likely to be the other, though Wake Forest has options behind him in transfer Jacob Roberts (N.C. A&T), third-year linebacker Quincy Bryant and Eldrick Robinson II.

Overview: Hazen might be the safest bet on this list.

He’s spent two seasons playing well in a reserve capacity behind Ryan Smenda Jr. When asked to do more — specifically in two games against Army — he’s had the two best games of his career.

Now he’ll be asked to do more for an entire season, though he won’t necessarily be asked to make 117 tackles, as Smenda did last season.

Hazen has shown that he’s a strong tackler and has sideline-to-sideline range; he should pair well with Jones in the middle of Wake’s defense.

Position: Center.

Size: 6-2, 295.

Eligibility: Three seasons remaining.

Career stats: 17 games | 160 snaps, 1 sack allowed, 1 penalty (per PFF).

Depth chart: Wake Forest has a three-year starter at center returning in Michael Jurgens … and it was Petitbon who took the majority of center snaps in the spring.

Jurgens is moving to guard, opening the door for Petitbon to take the reins at center.

It’s not that peculiar of a move considering how well Jurgens knows the offense and that Petitbon was knocking on the door to get significant snaps for an 11-win Wake Forest team in 2021.

Overview: If you’re going to plug in a new center who’s had one spot start in his career, it might as well be a player whose one start came in front of 80,000 people.

Petitbon started Wake’s loss at Clemson in 2021 (albeit at right guard) on a partially torn ACL. It’s the same injury that cost him all of last season, as the Deacons didn’t rush him or George Sell back.

With Petitbon healthy in the spring, he showed that he’s ready to take over at center, which allows Wake Forest to swing Jurgens to guard.

Position: Wide receiver.

Size: 6-2, 185.

Eligibility: Three seasons remaining.

Career stats: 7 games | 4 catches, 33 yards, 1 touchdown.

Depth chart: You know who Wake’s top four receivers will be and Grimes isn’t going to be one of them.

But he’s coming along and depending on how far he progresses, he’ll push a couple of those receivers in front of him.

Donavon Greene and Jahmal Banks are Sharpe’d in as the starting wide receivers, and Taylor Morin and Ke’Shawn Williams reprise their roles in the slot. It’s a deep group and Grimes will get a chance at a similar role to the one Banks held last season, when he had 42 catches, 636 yards and nine touchdowns and only started one game.

Overview: It’s worth repeating now and probably a few more times that Grimes is the first receiver at Wake Forest who didn’t redshirt since 2015.

That’s a testament to how advanced he was last season and if there had been significant time missed by any of the receivers ahead of him, he would have had more of a chance to show it.

He’ll get more of a chance this year because of A.T. Perry’s departure for the NFL. Morin, Banks, Greene and Williams are all likely to out-target Grimes, but Perry dwarfed all of them with 129 targets last season (eighth-most in the country, per PFF).

That’s 129 targets coming off the books for the Deacons, with Grimes in position to take a bunch of them.