Mark Pope and Kentucky pulled off a bit of a stunner on Tuesday by earning a commitment from Oklahoma State transfer forward Brandon Garrison.
Garrison to Kentucky, who had been rumored to be on campus over the last week, never seemed to gain much traction like a lot of the other names that popped up in UK's favor.
But, at the end of the day, Pope was able to land the former McDonald's All-American and add more versatility to his front court.
Garrison is a 6-foot-11, 245-pound big man who averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks this season for the Cowboys. He shot 57.2 percent from the field. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
"Garrison provides size, length, and a sturdy interior presence," 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote of Garrison. "He can executive defensive coverages and offensive sets alike and is typically credited for his good awareness on both ends of the floor."
Garrison joins forward Andrew Carr (Wake Forest) and Amari Williams (Drexel) in Kentucky's front court. Garrison, like Williams, is a strong defensive player and someone who is limited to the paint on the offensive end.
Defensivley is where Garrison is at his best, though. He was fourth in the Big 12 last year in block percent and fifth in blocks per game.
Arkansas was a team rumored to be heavily involved with Garrison.
Garrison joins Carr and Williams in addition to guards Lamont Butler and Otega Oweh from the transfer portal. The Wildcats are also heavily involved with sharpshooter Koby Brea, someone analysts believe UK sits in the 'drivers's seat' for.
Mark Pope is putting together a phenomenal team in a short period of time and isn't close to being done yet.