Baylor Basketball Trending Down, North Carolina Gaining Steam for 2026 5-Star PG
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2026 five-star point guard Dylan Mingo was expected to announce his decision back in the middle of January between Baylor, North Carolina, Penn State, and Washington, but Mingo decided to postpone his decision — he still hasn't announced.
Back in October, Baylor was the predicted team to land Mingo. His former high school teammate, VJ Edgecombe, starred at Baylor last season and the former Bear was recruiting Mingo to head to Waco to continue his playing career.
But it appears that Baylor is no longer the team trending to land the Long Island Lutheran playmaker — it's North Carolina.
Recently, Rivals' Jamie Shaw named the Tar Heels the new leader in the clubhouse.
"While a commitment date has not been made public yet, speaking with sources, it sounds like there is some momentum around a commitment coming next week. A commitment with Mingo has been tricky as there have been a couple of dates made public and then postponed.
"While that remains fluid, if this current timeframe does hold up, I am told that UNC is carrying a good bit of momentum. Based on the intel I am currently getting, I have placed a prediction for the Tar Heels to ultimately land the No. 1 PG in the class."
Mingo is looking for a winning culture
Early on in the process, Mingo said he wanted to go to a team that has a winning culture. The five-star PG and No. 5 ranked player in the 2026 class is used to winning and wants to go to a college that has a chance to win the national title in what could be his only year playing college basketball.
“First, I would say just a winning program,” Mingo told Rivals. “A coach that truly believes in me. A coach and a coaching staff that believes in me. A place where I can be off the court and I still feel comfortable at. A place where you want to go. Even if it’s not basketball, basketball’s not in the picture. And honestly, academics is a big part, too.”
Baylor has been a winning program under Scott Drew. It wasn't too long ago that the Bears won a national title, but the 2025 basketball season has been a disaster in Waco. The Bears are looking like they will miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.
Baylor's roster could be fluid headed into next season — like this year. Coach Drew had to get a brand new roster in Waco after last season, and star freshman Tounde Yessoufou and sophomore Cameron Carr are likely off to the NBA.
Mingo cooling from Baylor could stem from the Bears' disappointing season in 2025.
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