Mingo will not be part of new coach Michael Malone's first team at North Carolina



North Carolina is parting ways with five-star Dylan Mingo, 247Sports reported on Monday. Mingo, the No. 8-ranked player in the 2026 recruiting class by 247Sports, committed to UNC in mid-February and will now reopen his recruitment during the busiest time on the transaction calendar: transfer portal season.

With Mingo suddenly available, he is one of two players ranked inside the top 10 who haven't pledged to a school for next season. Mingo joins Tyran Stokes, the No. 1-ranked player in the class, as the only uncommitted five-star prospects.

Mingo committed to North Carolina earlier this year over Baylor and Penn State. The 6-foot-5 guard out of Long Island Lutheran High School in New York was UNC's highest-ranked pledge in the 2026 class that also included four-star Maximo Adams and Malloy Smith, the son of program legend and NBA champion Kenny Smith.

Shortly after the coaching change at North Carolina, Adams reaffirmed his commitment to the school.

Notably, Mingo and North Carolina parting ways comes on the same day the program landed a commitment from Virginia Tech guard Neoklis Avdalas. Avdalas marked the first newcomer first-year coach Michael Malone landed since accepting the job with the program last week.

Mingo's older brother, Kayden Mingo, is currently in the transfer portal after spending his freshman season at Penn State. Dylan took an official visit to Penn State last fall. He also visited Baylor, NC State, and North Carolina before committing to the Tar Heels.

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