First comes the disclaimer: Everything about spring football comes with an asterisk.

Some of the development that happens at this time carries through the summer and into fall camp; some just doesn’t. It’s a different animal when the opener is a matter of weeks away, instead of months.

It’s also important to remember that Wake Forest’s team will look different in fall camp. There’s a second transfer portal window (May 1-15) looming, and only half of the Deacons’ freshman class has enrolled.

Players also improve more over the summer than over preseason conditioning programs. The aWAKEning is intense; the 2-3 months players spend around campus while nobody is watching is oftentimes when chemistry really comes together.

But since fall camp is still months away and Wake Forest began spring practices last week, let’s dive into spring storylines.

“You saw good emotion, and good energy,” coach Dave Clawson said after last week’s first practice. “You’re trying to develop successful habits, whether it be ball security, ball disruption.”

Wake Forest is coming off an 8-5 season that concluded with a Gasparilla Bowl win over Missouri. Next season will be the Deacons’ first since 2017 without Sam Hartman on the roster, though they’ll see him down the road.

The Deacons are through three spring practices and the fourth is slated for Thursday morning. Here’s the report on the third one, which was Tuesday; the spring game will be April 15.

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Here are the five storylines I’m most interested in tracking during spring football:

The skinny: What, you thought the first topic would be about the quarterback? Come on.

This publication will always pay proper respect to the Beef Boys, and there will be some new faces among them this season.

Key figures: Matt Gulbin, Nick Sharpe, CJ Elmonus, Erik Russell, Zach Vaughan, Luke Petitbon, Derrell Johnson II, Jaydon Collins, George Sell, Christian Forbes. … And offensive line coach Nick Tabacca.

Number to know: Three — the number of returning linemen with significant experience.

Prediction: Nothing is going to be settled on the offensive line until deep into fall camp.

Michael Jurgens returning means the unit has a consistent voice, a captain who’s been a leader for several seasons already. Except early in the spring, he’s even in a different spot, lining up at guard while Petitbon gets some first-team reps at center.

DeVonte Gordon is a two-year starter at right tackle and Spencer Clapp is entering his seventh season in the program, having been a jack-of-all-trades lineman who’s found a home at left tackle. If Jurgens sticks at guard, Gordon will be the only returning starter in the same position; Clapp has proved valuable because of versatility, but has never started a game.

Sharpe is the one to pencil in as a starter at guard; he’s a 6-2, 330-pounder with more size than Wake’s typical offensive lineman.

2. Secondary thoughts

The skinny: Wake Forest gave up the second-most passing yards per game in the ACC last season and tied for the third-fewest interceptions.

Key figures: Cornerbacks Caelen Carson, DaShawn Jones, Zamari Stevenson, Jamare Glasker, Andre Hodge; safeties Chelen Garnes, Malik Mustapha, Brendon Harris, Nick Andersen, Evan Slocum, AJ Williams.

Number to know: 269.5 passing yards allowed per game last season.

Prediction: Somebody is going to need to step up across from Carson, to start with. My money would be on Jones, who emerged halfway through last season as a viable option when the Deacons needed depth.

New cornerbacks coach Chip West has his work cut out for him as far as inheriting experience; though cornerback, Wake Forest has proven in the past, isn’t a position where you need to be a seasoned veteran to make an impact.

Strength is in the safeties, especially if healthy. Garnes and Mustapha can be as good a duo as there is in the ACC, and there’s quality depth in the other four.

Oh, right: And then they’re going to have sort out who’s playing nickel, which is the most-difficult position to play in a modern defense. (which looks like it’ll be Slocum)

The skinny: Kevin Higgins’ move into an off-field role means the first change to Wake’s offensive coaching staff in several years, as Ari Confesor is the Deacons’ new wide receivers coach.

Key figures: Confesor; wide receivers Donavon Greene, Jahmal Banks, Wesley Grimes, Horatio Fields; slot receivers Taylor Morin, Ke’Shawn Williams and Walker Merrill.

Number to know: Six of 10. There have been 10 Deacons to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season, and six of them occurred in the last five seasons (all under Higgins).

Prediction: You know who the starters will be: Greene and Banks on the outside, Morin in the slot. And you know Williams is going to play a ton.

This boils down to how much development occurs beyond them.

Grimes and Fields have shown flashes; Fields will have to get back on the field and prove he’s healthy before he can pick up where he left off last spring. Merrill was a highly touted recruit who didn’t have much room to grow at Tennessee; the educated guess is he winds up with a pretty large role this season, too.

The skinny: There are 13 newcomers — 10 early enrollees and three transfers — in spring practices.

Key figures: The transfers are Bryce Ganious (DT), Jacob Roberts (LB) and Merrill (WR); the freshmen are Drew Pickett and David Egbe (RBs), Deuce Alexander (WR), Kyland Armstrong (OL), Kerrington Lee, Ka’Shawn Thomas and Chris Marable Jr. (DLs), Aiden Hall (LB), Davaughn Patterson and Antonio Robinson Jr. (DBs).

Number to know: Three — that’s how many freshmen played more than the four-game (plus bowl) maximum to retain a redshirt last season (Demond Claiborne, Grimes and Stevenson).

Prediction: I think more than three freshmen will be contributors for this team, and getting in early gives these guys a jump start on the rest of the class that arrives over the summer.

Wake’s defensive line is thin, making all three incoming freshmen candidates to make the rotation. The Deacons haven’t been shy about playing linebackers early and just lost one that played five seasons (Ryan Smenda Jr.).

We’ll need to see what Robinson looks like in the fall, as he’s the highest-rated recruit of the class.

As for the transfers: They’re here to play. Ganious and Roberts are at thin positions, too, so they’re bound to get every opportunity to establish themselves.

The skinny: What, you thought there would be a whole list without a quarterback mention?

Griffis has been the heir apparent since last year around this time. We got a glimpse of him as Wake’s starter after Hartman’s medical issue last fall, when Griffis threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns.

Now he moves into the lead role.

Key figures: Mitch Griffis, offensive coordinator/QBs coach Warren Ruggiero.

Number to know: Four — let me explain below.

Prediction: This is going to be Griffis’ fourth season at Wake Forest and, as noted, it’ll be the first time he’s Wake’s starter. His predecessors haven’t been so fortunate to have such grooming — John Wolford, Sam Hartman and Kendall Hinton all started as freshmen, and Jamie Newman was thrust into duty as a redshirt sophomore.

There’s a way to look at this as Griffis is the first Wake Forest quarterback under Ruggiero to have an extended period to develop. Granted, some of that time was stunted by COVID — Griffis enrolled in January of 2020. But aside from his lone start against VMI, he’s an unknown to those outside of Wake’s program.

Those within the program know that Griffis fits the “gamer” descriptor, which is to say his competitive drive is such that it compensates for some areas that might be otherwise lacking.

In five-plus months, you’ll be able to see that, too.