Alvin Brooks III is a major addition to Mark Pope's staff

Mitch Barnhart did not land Baylor's Scott Drew during his search for Kentucky's next head coach but the man he did hire, Mark Pope, just took Drew's top assistant.

Alvin Brooks III has been on staff with Drew in Waco since 2016, and he has been the lead recruiter for five-star players who have committed to Baylor in each of the last three recruiting cycles.

That, along with Brooks' place in Baylor's program as Drew's top assistant, have given him a reputation as one of the top coaches in the sport among the pool of assistants.

Brooks recruited Keyonte George, Ja'Kobe Walter, and most recently V.J. Edgecombe and many have noted his recruiting ties to the Lone Star State, which has been fertile ground for UK basketball recruiting efforts over the last decade.

Pope's first staff at Kentucky will also include former G-League head coach Jason Hart, who was also very highly regarded as an assistant coach earlier in his career, former and long-time head coach Mark Fox, and BYU assistant Cody Fueger.

According to numerous reports Brooks will be associate head coach in Lexington.