Somewhere between the time Braylon Mullins committed to the UConn Class of 2025 and he actually enrolled, it became a forgone conclusion.

Mullins, a five-star recruit and Indiana’s Mr. Basketball, would be one and done in Storrs, Conn.

Not so fast.

Speaking on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Thursday, Huskies head coach Dan Hurley implied a return by Mullins for his sophomore season isn't off the table. The availability to tap into name, image and likeness funds has not made the jump to the NBA as inevitable for talented freshmen as it once was.

“Now, with college, I would say unless it absolutely makes total sense for you to go in the draft, unless you know you’re going to be a lottery pick or guaranteed to go in the top 15, top 18 – the biggest mistake you can make right now as a college basketball player is going to the draft too early and not staying long enough in college because of, obviously, the money situation.

“What I’ll tell Braylon, and I’ll tell his family, is number one, do you like college? Some players are in a rush to get to the NBA because they don’t like being a college student, like being in a college program. College programs are run way different than NBA teams,” he said, citing the structure such as going to class and required study halls.

And given the NBA's rookie salary structure, where pay is allocated by draft pick, Mullins' lucrative NIL potential could be higher than an NBA contract.

“The world has changed. There’s not this pressure to go to the NBA now because of the money situation," Hurley said. "Players like Braylon, he'd probably make more money at UConn next year than he would if he's the 15th pick. Those are the things you have to weigh.”

Coming out of Greenfield-Central High School in Indiana, Mullins was ranked as the No. 2 shooting guard and No. 12 overall player in the nation by 247Sports.

In a class dominated by bigger-name freshmen – AJ Dybantsa of BYU, Cameron Boozer of Duke and Darryn Peterson of Kansas – Mullins didn’t become a household name until the final second of UConn’s Elite Eight game against top overall seed Duke.

That’s when Mullins hit a 35-footer in the last second to give UConn a comeback victory and a trip to the Final Four.

But Mullins had some shooting inconsistencies on the season. He averaged 12.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 36 games, but he had just as many off nights as he had terrific ones. On the season, he shot 42.1% (146 of 347) from the field and 33.5% (72 of 215) from 3-point range.

In the NCAA Tournament championship game on Monday night, won 69-63 by Michigan, the 6-foot-6 Mullins made just 4 of 17 shots.

Most NBA mock drafts project Mullins being selected in the lower half of the first round, from No. 15 to No. 30. Only the mock draft from Bleacher Report predicted he would be a lottery pick, estimating his draft slot at No. 9.

Basketball insider Adam Zagoria reported Thursday that one NBA executive told him that Mullins would be best served returning to UConn and entering a 2027 draft class that won’t be as loaded with top prospects.

"He's not ready physically," the executive told ZAGSBLOG. "And next year's draft isn't as strong. This year's Draft is full of very good shooters."

Given that UConn played until the final possible day, Mullins will have choices to make in a condensed time frame.

Speaking after the loss in the title game, it seemed Mullins, who turns 20 later this month, hadn’t discounted a return to Storrs.

"It's a blessing, I wouldn't change anything,” Mullins said of his freshman season. “When I came on my recruiting visit a year and a half, two years ago, this is what I wanted to be doing, just be in this position. Representing UConn has been so special for me, and I can't cherish it enough. If this is what my future holds, coming back here, that would be great."

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