In a significant move for UConn basketball, five-star recruit Braylon Mullins officially committed to the Huskies, marking a major win for head coach Dan Hurley. Mullins, a top-25 senior from Greenfield-Central High School in Indiana, chose UConn over prominent programs like Indiana and North Carolina. But who exactly is Braylon Mullins, and why is he making the headlines?

Braylon Mullins hails from a basketball family in Indiana. In fact, he had his schooling done at Greenfield-Central, a premier institute in the state. Braylon averaged 25.0 points, and 6.2 rebounds per game at Greenfield-Central as a junior. These numbers got him multiple collegiate offers from programs like Alabama, Michigan, Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, UConn, North Carolina, Indiana, Purdue, Tennessee, Butler, and Cincinnati.

NIL evaluation and Braylon Mullins’ Final list

These offers also complemented his NIL potential, which skyrocketed to an impressive valuation of approximately $583,000. This also would end up with ranking him in the 30th place in high school basketball NIL rankings, as per On3. Braylon’s social media presence also grew to a significant 8.8K followers on Instagram and 3.1K on Twitter.

However, this was not the end as he still had to select the program he would go to, and after much deliberation, he narrowed the list down to 3 programs namely, Indiana Hoosiers, UConn Huskies, and North Carolina Tar Heels. The decision, though challenging, ultimately became clear to him.

Reflecting on this decision, Mullins would later go on an interview and state that it all began during a trip to Las Vegas the previous weekend for the Wootten 150 Camp, where Braylon had to play in front of McDonald’s All-American committee members, and found the opportunity to sit down for two dinners with his mother, Katie, to weigh his options and discuss his future.

Braylon’s father, Josh Mullins, would later state in an interview, “The first thing he said when we left was, ‘Who tops this?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know, Braylon, this is the only one we’ve been to, so I have no idea what people have in store for you on your visit.’ But it was really good. They had done their homework. They had been watching him since the beginning of his junior year on video, they just wanted to see him in person. But when we left UConn, you could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice that UConn was going to be hard to beat.”

While talking about how the decision to choose UConn became really easy for Braylon after meeting with Hurley and his coaching staff, the shooting guard would state in his later interviews with reporter Kyle Neddenriep, “I want to play professional basketball and that’s something (Hurley) was harping on during the visit. He said you can do whatever you want here and be the best at it and you’ll make it in life. It’s hard not to say yes to that.“

Ranked 25th according to ESPN’s top 100 prospects for the 2025 class in the country’s recruiting database, Braylon Mullins would later announce his commitment on October 24, while stating, “I felt like playing for Coach Hurley was the best decision and fit for myself.” His decision wasn’t made lightly, as he had been pursued intensely by all three finalists.

“I had a great relationship with Coach Hurley. We would text, talk, FaceTime,” Mullins told ESPN. “The relationship I built with him and winning national championships came together and helped me and my decision. A national championship is the ultimate goal when you go to college. I want to have a chance for that.”

Dan Hurley and his staff began turning up the heat on Mullins last spring, extending a scholarship offer that led to an official visit over the summer and this obviously worked well in UConn’s favor.

Mullins’s future with the Huskies and Dan Hurley

On the court, Mullins has established himself as one of the premier scorers in the 2025 class. Standing 6-foot-5, Braylon shoots 43% from three-point range. His performance over the summer circuit further solidified his standing, averaging 19.4 points and shooting an impressive 47.3% from beyond the arc during the Adidas 3SSB events. In fact, his coach at Greenfield Central Luke Meredith would state, “Braylon is a terrific decision-maker, always making the right play at the right time. He’s the best shooter in the country in my opinion.”

His performances, along with the rise in offers, would make the recruiting process for Mullins intense. It would raise his stock sharply in a short span. Initially ranked 92nd in June, he would skyrocket into the top 25 by July. In fact, prior to the spring, Mullins stated that IU was his top priority, but after his official visit to UConn, everything shifted.

Reflecting on his decision-making process, Mullins stated, “Knowing IU was an hour down the road, that was the biggest part (in IU’s favor). I liked everything at UConn better than at IU. And I felt like I just wanted a fresh start and to get away from home a little bit.”

Mullins’s decision, however, has come under much scrutiny, especially being a highly sought-after player in Indiana. He acknowledged the challenges of social media backlash, particularly from Hoosiers fans. “I knew I was going to hear it regardless from any fan base. I knew IU would be the worst if I ended up leaving,” he said, adding, “But it’s something you have to just move over and look past.”

Looking ahead, Mullins is excited about the opportunities that await him at UConn. With the potential departure of current players like Alex Karaban from UConn for the NBA, Mullins might become the future mainstay for UConn. “I didn’t want to play for any other coach than Coach Hurley. He’s a players’ coach, and player development was definitely a key piece for my development,” he shared according to the Stamford advocate.

As he prepares for his senior year and his transition to college basketball, Mullins remains focused on the next step. “I feel like being able to be coached as hard as possible will make you the best player possible,” he shared, ready to embrace the journey ahead.