A former North Carolina commit has found a new home earlier this week, as 5-star guard Dylan Mingo has signed with the Baylor Bears.
Mingo — a 6-foot-5 guard from Long Island Lutheran — was originally committed to UNC, and had been since February. However, after the Tar Heels fired Hubert Davis following another first-round NCAA Tournament exit, Mingo reopened his recruitment.
After a few weeks of going through the process, Mingo decided not to stick with UNC, and new head coach Michael Malone has decided to commit to Baylor, a tough blow for the Tar Heels in Malone’s first recruiting cycle since taking over as head coach.
Mingo is considered one of the top players in the class of 2026. The Tar Heels losing out on him is a major development for next season and beyond, as Mingo would’ve likely been one of UNC’s best players next season had he decided to stay.
Mingo Missed Most of Last Season
He missed most of high school basketball this past year due to an ankle injury. He averaged 23.8 points. 6.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in the NBA Top 100 Camp in the summer of 2025, and averaged 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 2.6 assists in 12 appearances in Nike EYBL last year.
Mingo will be playing with his brother, Kayden, at Baylor. Kayden spent his freshman season at Penn State, averaging 13.7 points and 4.3 assists per game, before transferring to Baylor, offering a hint of familiarity for his younger brother.
Mingo’s Thoughts
“Playing with my brother Kayden is a big plus, it’s a blessing to play with him again,” Mingo told ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. “We have been playing together since we were little kids, and there is a built-in chemistry and trust you can’t duplicate. We keep each other accountable, too. Baylor was one of my final schools before, so I was comfortable with them.”
As for the Tar Heels, they’ve seen a lot of change over this offseason. Star forwards Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar are entered into the 2026 NBA Draft, and they’ve lost essentially every other key role player aside from Jarin Stevenson and reserve guards Jaydon Young and Isaiah Denis. They’ll look to build a contender in year one of Malone’s tenure at the helm, as the pressure will certainly mount quickly to get back to where they belong at the top of the college basketball hierarchy.
