Texas Tech assistant coach Al Pinkins leaving for Florida

Texas Tech assistant coach Al Pinkins is leaving Chris Beard's staff for a position at Florida, sources confirm to RedRaiderSports.com. Florida will announce the hire, including Pinkins' new title of associate head coach, sometime Friday afternoon.

Pinkins was a charter member of Beard's staff, joining the Red Raiders in 2016 after spending the previous five seasons coaching in the SEC at LSU, Tennessee and Ole Miss.

This is Texas Tech's second staff departure of the offseason; assistant coach Chris Ogden left in April to become the head coach at UT-Arlington and was eventually replaced by Beard's Chief of Staff Brian Burg.

The Red Raiders (27-10) finished the 2017-18 season ranked No. 6 in the Coaches Poll after making the program's first-ever appearance in the Elite Eight.