Brandon Garrison commits to Kentucky over Arkansas and others

They've made great headway as Mark Pope and his staff have secured commitments from Andrew Carr, Lamont Butler, and Otega Oweh over the last few days. Now we can add another surprise name to the mix.

Now, Oklahoma State center Brandon Garrison has decided to take his talents to Lexington. He took to Twitter to announce the news on Tuesday.

Garrison, a 6-foot-11 and 245-pound center from Oklahoma City, is a former 5-star prospect in the class of 2023 who was also a McDonald's All-American. He ultimately chose the Cowboys over offers from Kansas, Houston, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, and several others.

In his first year in Stillwater, Garrison played well for a team that struggled throughout the season. He finished the year averaging 7.5 PPG on 57.2% shooting from the field. He also added 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game.

Garrison is from Oklahoma City, and when he first entered the portal, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners were viewed as the top contenders. Arkansas was another program to make a push and even hosted him for a visit, so this is a win for Mark Pope against John Calipari.

This commitment comes as a surprise to many in the BBN as the connection between Garrison and the UK staff was kept behind the scenes. Especially coming off a visit to Fayetteville this past weekend, it seemed likely he would end up playing for Calipari next season.

Now, the attention will turn to locking down Great Osobor to round out the frontcourt for the roster next year.

Check out some highlights of the newest Wildcat in action!

Need more A Sea Of Blue coverage? Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get all the latest Kentucky Wildcats news and views. Go CATS!