Braylon Mullins injury: UConn guard, preseason Big East Freshman of the Year, out six weeks with hurt ankle

UConn guard Braylon Mullins suffered an ankle injury during practice this week that will sideline him for at least six weeks, the school said in a statement on Friday. Mullins, the preseason Big East Freshman of the Year by the conference and CBS Sports, was expected to play a significant role for Dan Hurley’s Huskies this season.

With Mullins set to miss six weeks due to the injury, that timeline would sideline him roughly the entire month of November. No. 4 UConn has several key games against ranked opponents during the opening month of the 2025-26 campaign, including matchups against No. 8 BYU (Nov. 15), No. 13 Arizona (Nov. 19) and No. 17 Illinois (Nov. 28). 

UConn also faces No. 19 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 2 and reigning national champion Florida at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 9 before Big East play begins against Butler later in the month.

Mullins, who ranked as the No. 12 overall recruit in the 2025 recruiting cycle by 247Sports and is a projected first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, was one of several newcomers entering the UConn program. The Huskies added Silas Demary Jr. (Georgia) and Malachi Smith (Dayton) via the transfer portal and signed four players from the 2025 recruiting cycle — headlined by Mullins.

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In addition to the newcomers on the roster, UConn also returns veteran forward Alex Karaban, guard Solo Ball and big man Tarris Reed Jr. The Huskies were voted to win the Big East in CBS Sports’ preseason poll.

Mullins is not the first UConn star freshman to miss time because of injury during Hurley’s tenure. Last season, star forward Liam McNeeley missed over a month during Big East play due to an ankle injury. During the 2023-24 campaign, Stephon Castle — the highest-ranked recruit in program history during the modern era — missed nearly a month due to a knee injury.

The Huskies open the season on Nov. 3 against New Haven.