With all the excitement surrounding 5-star freshman Caleb Wilson, it's easy to forget that UNC basketball and Hubert Davis are in a heated battle for another elite talent, this time for the 2026 class. That'd be standout Dylan Mingo, who has North Carolina high on his list.
UNC basketball can reach a sensational feat this weekend vs. Ohio State
Mingo has the Heels among his finalists and a recent official visit to Chapel Hill only helped Davis with his efforts to potentially land him. However, there's a huge roadblock getting in the way of North Carolina getting this done.
That'd be the Penn State Nittany Lions. Normally, UNC and Penn State going after the same prospect would result in the Tar Heels posting an easy win. However, Mingo's older brother plays for PSU and according to 247's Jamie Shaw, that has Penn State separating itself from UNC and others. Obviously, this is not great for Davis and Co.
UNC and Hubert Davis are hoping to pull off some magic to land Dylan Mingo
Mingo is expected to make his final decision soon, with this being a battle between North Carolina, Penn State, Baylor and Washington. However, the assumption here is that he's going to either commit to the Heels or Nittany Lions.
This of course is not going to be an easy decision for him. Will Mingo join his older brother and be mentored by him in the Big Ten, or will he head to UNC and play for one of the most iconic college programs out there? We don't envy him for having to make this call.
Selfishly of course, countless North Carolina fans want to see Mingo put on a show at the Dean Dome in the same way that Wilson is doing so to start off his brilliant career. If Davis is able to convince him to play for UNC, it'd be some much-needed good recruiting news for the program.
Not long ago, fellow 5-star target Deron Rippey Jr. narrowed down his list and the Heels didn't make the cut - Rippey is announcing his college choice later this month. Landing Mingo would make people forget about that, but there's a tall mountain to climb here for Davis and his staff.