UNC Loses Top Target, Pursues Another Key Recruit

While North Carolina missed out on five-star prospect Deron Rippey Jr., there may be more to the story. The Tar Heels could have their sights set on another marquee name: Dylan Mingo.

Nov 11, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis directs his team during the first half against the Radford Highlanders at Dean E. Smith Center. | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

North Carolina finally received some good news last week when five-star small forward Maxi Adams committed to the Tar Heels, but the program also got some bad news.

Five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. announced his top five schools, and UNC was not among them. Instead, Duke, Miami, NC State, Tennessee and Texas made Rippey’s final list.

Rippey is the No. 1 player in the basketball-rich state of New Jersey and is the No. 1 point guard in the country for the class of 2026. He averaged 11.7 points, four assists and 4.4 rebounds per game for New Heights in the Adidas 3558 circuit.

He is an explosive slasher who is good at finishing at the rim and shot 33% from three in the last two AAU seasons. He also has very active hands, as he averaged 2.6 steals per game in the Adidas 3558 circuit.

His father played at ECU. He took an official visit to North Carolina on Aug. 31. Other finalists include Alabama, Duke, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, NC State, Syracuse, Tennessee, and Texas.

Why This News Doesn’t Sting As Much

Dean Smith Center | Grant Chachere, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

While missing out on Rippey seems like a huge loss, it really isn’t. That’s because UNC has ramped up its recruiting efforts for Dylan Mingo, another five-star point guard from New York.

Mingo visited Chapel Hill last weekend and it looked like he had a blast as the UNC student section had posters stating “We Want Mingo.”

He was supposed to visit the weekend before and attend UNC’s game against Kansas, but that visit was postponed when his flight was canceled due to the government shutdown, and it seemed North Carolina was headed for more bad news in recruiting.

Mingo, who is a consensus five-star, is the No. 5 overall prospect, No. 2 combo guard in New York and No. 1 player in New York in the 2026 recruiting class according to 247Sports. Mingo has 21 offers in his recruitment and has had nine visits so far. Other teams that have shown interest and have received a visit are NC State, Baylor, Penn State, Alabama, Miami, Washington and UConn so far.

North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis during UNC's 95-53 win over Winston-Salem State in an exhibition game on Oct. 29, 2025 | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

He is a 6-5 score-first lead guard who loves to slash down the lane to get to the rim or line. He is also very tough to guard for the average point guard due to his size and speed.

Mingo averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists for PSA Cardinals in the EYBL circuit. His older brother, Kayden, was a top-40 recruit in the class of 2025 and is currently a freshman on Penn State’s roster.

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