UNC Parts Ways With Five-Star Recruit Dylan Mingo After New Head Coach Michael Malone Goes In Another Direction

Five-star combo guard Dylan Mingo is officially re-opening his commitment after the University of North Carolina decided to part ways following the hiring of former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.

Mingo is currently the eighth-ranked player in the 2026 class and was the second-highest-rated guard to ever commit to North Carolina. Mingo was viewed as a huge get for then-head coach Hubert Davis, but his firing changed things for the Tar Heels and Mingo.

Conversations between Malone and the Mingo family deteriorated this weekend, according to reports, prompting them to part ways.

Some of the factors that led to the split come from NIL, roster concerns and injury concerns, as Mingo missed the majority of his senior season due to an ankle injury. Mingo was set to be one of the more expensive players on the roster, and Malone opted to go in a different direction.

Mingo also has concerns about his shooting, as the guard shot just 23% from three in EYBL games and is said to have “unorthodox mechanics.”

This also comes as North Carolina picked up a recent portal commit, Neoklis Avdalas, who spent his freshman season at Virginia Tech. Carolina also has its eyes set on portal guards Terrence Brown and Juke Harris, who recently visited Chapel Hill. It seems they want a more experienced point guard to run Malone’s offense.

Mingo originally chose North Carolina over Penn State, Baylor and Washington before re-opening his recruitment. Mingo’s brother, Kayden Mingo, is currently in the transfer portal, so the possibility of the brothers playing together remains.

Malone was able to retain four-star commit and McDonald’s All-American Maximo Adams, along with three-star Malloy Smith.

It is a new era in Chapel Hill, and Malone will be coaching an almost entirely new roster, aside from forward Jarin Stevenson and guard Jaydon Young. It is unknown whether big man Henri Veesaar will declare for the draft or elect to return to college.