There have been few rules changes or wrinkles to sports that have impacted college football as much as the transfer portal.

The transfer portal was first implemented in October 2018 and, since then, thousands of football players have used it to find new teams. Since that first offseason, the portal has undergone a few tweaks while the NCAA navigates the new era of college football.

LSU football has certainly been involved in the transfer portal. Per the 247Sports Composite, the Tigers have seen 72 players enter the transfer portal while landing 36 transfers from it since 2019.

With the portal in full swing in its sixth year in existence, let's rank the five best players LSU has signed out of the transfer portal in the first five full years.

5. Mekhi Wingo (2022) from Missouri

Wingo became a stalwart for the Tigers at defensive tackle the two years he played at LSU. He suffered an injury in 2023, limiting him to eight games, but he was productive, totaling 4.5 sacks and five TFLs in his 25 stops. For his LSU career, the DT had 98 tackles. Wingo was selected in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.

4. Kyren Lacy (2022) from Louisiana

Lacy has caught 54 passes for 826 yards with seven TDs in two seasons with the Tigers so far. Last season was his best in the purple and gold with 30 receptions, 558 receiving yards and seven scores, becoming a needed complement to now-NFL receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. Heading into the 2024 season, Lacy is expected to be LSU’s top pass catcher.

3. Major Burns (2021) from Georgia

REQUIRED READING: Transfer portal tracker ... Who's in, out for LSU Tigers ahead of 2024 season

JOHN EMERY JR.: John Emery Jr. returning to LSU football after testing transfer portal waters

LSU FOOTBALL 2024 SCHEDULE NEWS: Game times, windows announced

The defensive backfield was one of the main targets for LSU out of the transfer portal after the 2020 season and Burns was a top target out of Georgia. Since joining the Tigers, Burns has started 23 games, including all 13 for them in 2023, a season when he led the defense in tackles with 93. Burns has missed some time due to injuries his first two years at LSU, but he's improved each season. Burns is expected to be one of the leaders of LSU's defense in 2024 and he's projected to be an NFL Draft pick next year.

2. Miles Frazier (2022) from Florida International

Before Frazier showed up on LSU's campus, he was already an All-American, earning Freshman All-American distinction at FIU. In two seasons with the Tigers, Frazier has started every game but one due to injury at guard , and has been an integral part in LSU's offensive line becoming one of the premier units in college football. The expectations Frazier came into LSU with? He's delivered on those so far.

1. Jayden Daniels (2022) from Arizona State

It isn't close as who has been the Tigers' most influential and impactful transfer portal pickup. The quarterback won the Heisman Trophy after this season, a stellar campaign in which he amassed 4,946 yards along with 50 total touchdowns. Daniels helped orchestrate one of the most potent offenses in LSU football history, arguably behind only Joe Burrow's high-octane unit in 2019. In two years in Baton Rouge, Daniels threw for 6,725 yards, 57 TDs and added 2,019 rushing yards with 21 scores. Daniels was chosen No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders.

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football's top transfers in first 5 years of transfer portal era