Yes, going after top talent in the transfer portal is the priority for Michael Malone and UNC right now, but no one has forgotten about 5-star combo guard Dylan Mingo. The New York product is committed to the Tar Heels, but he's yet to put the pen to paper to make things official.
Henri Veesaar's UNC decision just made easier thanks to ESPN's big board rankings
The thought of Mingo decommitting and signing with a different team is keeping some Tar Heels fans up at night, but the hope is that Malone can remind him why he picked the ACC powerhouse in the first place. According to the trustworthy Adam Zagoria, his sources tell him that Mingo remains committed to UNC 'at the moment,' but the problem here is no one knows for sure if he's going to play in Chapel Hill next season or not:
Penn State G Kayden Mingo is in the portal, source confirms
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 8, 2026
He averaged 13.7 ppg, 4.3 apg and 3.5 rpg last season
His brother 5-star G Dylan Mingo has not decommitted from UNC at the moment, per source pic.twitter.com/9IJkOPlpfh
UNC remains hopeful that 5-star guard Dylan Mingo will sign with the Tar Heels
Plenty of headlines have been written of late, as Mingo's older brother Kayden, a standout for Penn State last season, decided to say goodbye to the Nittany Lions and enter the transfer portal. With this, the door has been opened for a 2-for-1 Mingo special if Malone decides to pursue him - we think he should for the record.
Penn State was originally a finalist for Mingo, along with Baylor, Washington and UNC, but now that his big bro won't be with the team, we feel it's safe to assume the Big Ten squad will be out of the hunt to try to flip the UNC pledge. Might Baylor, Washington or a surprise team get back in the mix?
That's likely, as Hubert Davis getting fired and Marcus Paige leaving for Charlotte has thrown things in a loop for Mingo and his family. Despite that, Malone and his new staff are working hard to keep Mingo and fellow 5-star playmaker Maximo Adams on board.
The sooner UNC can get things done there, the better, but it's completely unknown how this story is going to end. Should Mingo and Adams make things official with the Tar Heels, it'd no question be a pair of splash recruiting wins for Malone and it'd have this team looking pretty dang loaded for next campaign, especially if Henri Veesaar returns and some big-name portal additions make their way to campus as well.