Five-star guard prospect Dylan Mingo, who pledged to join the UNC men’s basketball program for the 2026-27 season, will not come to Chapel Hill after all.

Mingo, a 6-foot-5 guard from Long Island who ESPN rated as the No. 9 overall player in his recruiting class, originally committed to UNC on Feb. 17, less than two weeks following the Tar Heels’ dramatic win against Duke in Chapel Hill. It was the conclusion of a long and winding recruiting road for Mingo, who had seen his official visit in November pushed back a week due to a cancelled flight amid a federal government shutdown. He then set a decision date for January, but ended up pushing that back to February.

Though Mingo remained committed to UNC following the dismissal of head coach Hubert Davis, who recruited Mingo, in March, he never signed a letter of intent to join the program. Monday’s announcement means the Tar Heels are set to only bring in two true freshmen: Maximo Adams, a four-star wing from California who has announced he will come to UNC following the hiring of new head coach Michael Malone, and Malloy Smith, son of former Tar Heel All-American Kenny Smith.

The news of Mingo’s departure was followed just minutes later by another blow to the UNC backcourt, as Derek Dixon has reportedly committed to Arizona out of the transfer portal. Dixon spent his freshman year in Chapel Hill but entered the portal shortly after it opened.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Gregory Payan

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