One of the best prospects in the recruiting class of 2026 is now off the board. Five-star guard Dylan Mingo is now committed to the University of North Carolina ahead of the 2026-27 college basketball season. Following his decision, the 6’4” talent issued an honest message aimed at his school, as well as Duke and Penn State.
As expected when it comes to making such a pivotal and career-altering decision, Mingo took his sweet time. Moreover, there was a plethora of reasons for him to choose the Tar Heels, which he went into in detail during his public announcement. Surprisingly, the Blue Devils had a say on the matter, as their recent loss in Chapel Hill may have been what tipped the scale for Mingo to join UNC.
“First of all, I chose North Carolina for North Carolina itself,” Mingo admitted in dialogue with ESPN’s “First Take”. “But definitely seeing everything after they won the game had a huge impact just on my decision. It’s so joyful. The players look so joyful. And you know the legacy of North Carolina; that was a dream of mine since I was a kid.”
Close second for Mingo
While North Carolina was always first on his mind, Mingo did contemplate other schools in the NCAA. He named his finalists as UNC, Penn State, Baylor, and Washington, but the former two were always the options generating the most buzz.
“I would say Penn State was second,” Mingo commented. “It was super hard to not play with your brother, to decline that option. I just felt like North Carolina [is] best for me right now.”
While UNC’s rich history in college basketball put it a peck above the rest, the prospect of joining his brother, Kayden, in State College was ever-present. As Mingo admitted, the Nittany Lions were in contention until the very end, but it was the Tar Heels who earned his commitment at the end of the day.
What’s next?
North Carolina has come away with one of the gems of the 2026 recruiting class, cementing its place as a school to watch in the 2026–27 NCAA season. Still, that is a long way off.
As it stands, the focus in Chapel Hill is on finishing the current campaign strong and making a deep run in the ACC and NCAA tournaments. March is around the corner, and that can only mean one thing: madness is in the air in college basketball.