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Five-star guard Dylan Mingo will not be attending the University of North Carolina. He has reopened his recruitment ahead of his freshman season.
The decommitment is a bit mysterious in nature. Mingo says the decision was his. The Tar Heels insist they moved on. Attempts to provide clarity are centered on his bowed legs.
Mingo is a Top 10 talent nationally. The New York native committed to UNC in February to become a headliner in Hubert Davis’s 2026 class. Much has changed since that pledge.
The Tar Heels fired their head coach after an early NCAA Tournament exit. Michael Malone has been hired as his replacement.
Malone is now tasked with building the 2026 roster. He’s currently in the midst of hosting recruits. Mingo was on campus this weekend. Conversations on Saturday reportedly led to the split.
Did North Carolina drop Dylan Mingo?
The Tar Heels hosted Mingo on Friday and Saturday. He got the chance to meet with the new staff. Early feedback suggested his commitment to the program remained strong.
In fact, it was reported that the Tar Heel’s plan was to keep Dylan in the fold while also adding his brother, Kayden, to the roster out of the transfer portal.
Something changed after a meeting with Michael Malone on Saturday. Mingo decommitted, though it remains unclear as to which side forced the split. There are reports of an NIL disagreement.
UNC insiders have pushed the narrative of this being the school’s decision.
North Carolina has decided to move away from Dylan Mingo, a source close to the situation has told TarHeel247.
Mingo committed to UNC this spring but had not signed a letter of intent.
The Heel Report podcast attempted to provide some clarity on the situation. NIL was a factor, as was injury history.
Michael Malone did not want to pay.
“We have a head coach now that operated under a salary cap (in the NBA). He’s looking at throwing good money after bad money, so to speak… If this guy’s not worth that, then why are we going to pay him?”
-Heel Report
Malone did not agree with the asking price according to the insiders, which may or may not have included a guarantee to sign both Mingo brothers as a package deal.
Injury history had a direct impact on the discussion. Lower body setbacks forced Dylan Mingo to miss significant time in his senior year.
“I don’t understand why you would pay that much for a guy that’s had all the injuries. NBA scouts are concerned because he is so bow-legged. It’s led to injuries… There’s a lot of injury concerns short-term and long-term.”
-Heel Report
Mingo’s bowed legs, according to the report, are the cause of his proneness to injury. They have NBA scouts concerned. They have Michael Malone concerned.
He was not willing to pay as much as Hubert Davis initially offered given the history. As a result, the two sides will part ways.