5-Star Dylan Mingo Visiting, Tar Heels vs. Jayhawks, Caleb Wilson Looks to 'Dominate,' Cardinal Comes Calling
Plus: Theo's basketball watch party, women's hoops host Elon and multiple recruits, two football decommitments, Throwback Thursday highlights, UNC Field Hockey & Men's Soccer advance
Five-star point guard Dylan Mingo is visiting this weekend as UNC hosts Kansas, Carolina Football faces Stanford, Women’s basketball hosts Elon and multiple recruits, Theo Pinson is throwing a UNC vs. KU watch party with Carolina Basketball legends, two football recruits decommitted, and Field Hockey & Men’s Soccer advanced in postseason play. On to the updates…
Football
UNC Football faces its second new opposing quarterback in as many weeks, as Stanford has announced that redshirt freshman Elijah Brown will start over Ben Gulbranson when the Tar Heels host the Cardinal on Saturday (4:30 p.m., The CW).
Congratulations to UNC defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude, who was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week this week for last Friday’s two-sack performance vs. Syracuse.
“The Newton, New Jersey, native logged at least two sacks for the second consecutive game to increase his season total to seven, which leads the ACC and ranks among the top 10 nationally. One of his sacks was a strip sack in the fourth quarter to help put the game away.”
And Coach Bill Belichick has been named a semifinalist for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. Other coaches on the list include Buddy Parker, Chuck Knox, Dan Reeves (my father’s classmate at South Carolina), and Marty Schottenheimer.
Basketball
Carolina Basketball hammered Central Arkansas, 94-54, on Monday night. YouTubeTV subscribers missed the action due to the ongoing dispute with Disney, so here are the highlights and Box Score if you missed it live or just want to watch Caleb Wilson dunk on everybody:
Luka Bogavac is finally free! UNC’s Montenegrin shooting guard was cleared by the University about 40 minutes prior to tipoff. Bogavac recorded 10 points and 5 assists in 20 minutes off the bench. Look for his role to increase as he re-acclimates to game speed.
Caleb Wilson has been named to the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List, which honors the National Player of the Year. Wilson can make a statement in that race on Friday when the Tar Heels host the Kansas Jayhawks at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Here’s Caleb Wilson on preparing for Kansas and what those kinds of games can do for his resume:
“I’m coming in there to dominate and show that I’m the best player in the country. So I’m gonna go out there and play as hard as I can and do everything I can do to be the best player I can be. I feel like it will be a good outcome because I know I’m a great player.”
Kansas is 1-0 and coming off a 94-51 season-opening win over Green Bay on Monday. The Jayhawks also won at Louisville, 90-82, in a preseason exhibition on Oct. 24. Friday should give fans a good idea of where each team stands ahead of conference play.
And don’t miss this unique opportunity to watch UNC vs. Kansas alongside some recent Tar Heel legends. Theo Pinson is hosting an online watch party, with guests Brice Johnson, RJ Davis, Brandon Robinson, and (possibly) Justin Jackson. I’m not familiar with the Playback.tv platform, but here’s the link to join the fun if you’re interested.
Football Recruiting
On the football recruiting trail, 3-star wide receiver KJ Miles (Columbus, Ga.) decommitted from UNC on Wednesday.
And 3-star tight end Cooper McCutchan announced his decommitment on Wednesday night, leaving the Tar Heels with “only” 38 committed players on the 2026 UNC Football recruiting board.
Basketball Recruiting
It was a big week for UNC Basketball recruiting:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Tar Heel Times Newsletter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.