Branden Carlson

Branden Carlson (born June 14, 1999) is an American college basketball player for the Utah Utes of the Pac-12 Conference.

Early life and high school career

Carlson grew up in South Jordan, Utah and attended Bingham High School. He committed to play college basketball at Utah over offers from UCLA, Stanford, BYU, UNLV, Utah State, UC Davis, Santa Clara, and Weber State.

College career

After graduating from high school, Carlson served a two-year Latter-Day Saint mission in Manchester, England. He enrolled at Utah before the start of the 2019–2020 season. Carlson played in 30 games with 29 starts during his freshman season and averaged 7.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. He averaged 9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks as a sophomore. Carlson averaged 13.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks and was named second-team All-Pac-12 Conference as a junior. He averaged 16.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game as a senior and was named first-team All-Pac-12. Carlson considered entering the 2023 NBA draft, but ultimately decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and return to Utah for a fifth season.