Louisville basketball went viral recently when the Cardinals' head coach made a bold claim that they are 'PGU' in the modern era of college basketball. The Cardinals have had some elite guards in recent history and hope Mikel Brown Jr. is the start of something special in the recruiting side of the game.
Brown Jr. was a consensus top 10 prospect in the 2025 recruiting class and was ranked as high as the No. 1 point guard in the nation. Now, in the 2026 recruiting class, the Cards look to back their 'PGU' claim up by landing an elite point guard, and after missing on Taylen Kinney, it is clear Deron Rippey Jr. and Marcus Johnson are their top targets.
Well, a rising ACC team doesn't just look to land Rippey over the Cards, but they look to land two elite guards and to try and steal Pat Kelsey's bold 'PGU' claim.
North Carolina State lands visits from top two PG's
North Carolina State has emerged as one of the nation's top rising programs since Will Wade took over this past spring. He had one of the best Transfer Portal classes in the country, which included the No. 5 best player in the class and the No. 2 best power forward, Darrion Williams. Now, he looks to carry that momentum into the 2026 recruiting class.
Wade has already landed two 4-star recruits, including Cole Cloer, who is ranked as high as No. 27 in the nation, and committed to NC State over Louisville. The Wolfpack now turns to the guards and looks to shock the nation and dominate the 2026 recruiting class as they will host the two top point guards in the country, according to Joe Tipton.
NC State and Will Wade will host 5⭐️ recruits back-to-back weekends. This weekend is Dylan Mingo, next weekend is Deron Rippey Jr.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) October 29, 2025
Wolfpack fans have plenty to be excited about right now.https://t.co/PUWdw1uQga https://t.co/nqmDXN1CP1 pic.twitter.com/V8PdQ0ROxT
NC State will host Dylan Mingo this weekend, who is one of the best recruits in this elite class, ranking No. 5 overall and No. 1 point guard. The Wolfpack have a lot of ground to catch up on for the consensus 5-star point guard, but the fact they earned a visit from Mingo speaks volumes, as they are also hosting the No. 2 point guard in the 2026 recruiting class, Deron Rippey Jr., the following weekend.
247 Sports ranks Mingo as a combo guard, No. 5 in the nation, and the No. 2 combo guard, making it clear their dream is to land both Rippey Jr. and Mingo. Rippey Jr. is ranked as the No. 1 point guard in the 2026 recruiting class and No. 11 in the nation, per 247 Sports, and the Wolfpack managed to get official visits from both guards in consecutive weeks.
The Cardinals made an offer to Mingo, but have not earned a visit from the 5-star and haven't had much noise around the elite guard. Where, for Rippey Jr., they made his top 10 and earned a visit back in November 2024. Since then, he has been visiting SEC and ACC powerhouses, and the Cards appear to be losing traction in the race for the elite guard.
Mingo stated he would like to announce his commitment in late November or early December, while Rippey Jr. has not given a timeline. The Cards are in the running for Johnson, who is a top guard in the 2026 recruiting class and ranked as high as No. 28 in the nation, and if Kelsey wants to compete with NC State, they might have to land the elite 4-star to keep his 'PGU' claim.