UNC basketball coach Michael Malone. Rodd Baxley/The Fayetteville Observer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

North Carolina and 5-star guard Dylan Mingo are heading in different directions

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Apr 13, 2026 9:19 PM ET

Dylan Mingo was a big-time recruiting win for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

The problem from UNC, and especially for Mingo, was that he made the decision to commit to North Carolina when Hubert Davis was still the head coach.

Mingo, a 2026 5-star guard from Glen Head, New York, had committed to North Carolina on February 17. After a second-straight first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels ended up firing Davis on March 24.

They brought in former NBA head coach Michael Malone just before the transfer portal opened up, but it sounds as if there was no longer a good fit between these two parties.

Mingo has officially decommitted from North Carolina. Other reports suggest that the Tar Heels have "decided to part ways" with him.

UNC has decided to part ways with five-star point guard Dylan Mingo, according to a source close to the program.

Details: https://t.co/57q0ECVSIt pic.twitter.com/VNVwpcFeQa
— InsideCarolina (@InsideCarolina) April 13, 2026

A decommitment is actually the proper way to evaluate this recruiting news because Mingo had never signed a letter of intent with UNC.

Perhaps that was coming had the change never been made at North Carolina, but at this point, we'll never likely know.

Dylan Mingo is a big-time 2026 hoops recruit

What we do know is that Mingo has now become one of the hottest non-transfer portal commodities in college basketball.

A 6-foot-5 combo guard, he is ranked as the No. 2 player at his position as well as the No. 5 overall 2026 recruit in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Mingo has over 20 offers and boasts interest from some of the biggest programs in college basketball, so it's going to be interesting to see where he ends up.

Notably, he had committed to North Carolina over Baylor, Penn State and Washington, so those could be three programs to watch here in the immediate future.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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