With early national signing day upon us, it is that time of year where big commitments are being made and surprising flips hit the timelines — and so far, two of Baldwin County's top players in the Class of 2026 have made huge announcements regarding their football futures.

First, Daphne defensive end Malique Franklin announced his commitment to the Alabama Crimson Tide early Tuesday morning. Franklin had just two offers coming into the 2025 season from Arkansas State and North Alabama, but after 23 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, blue-blood programs came calling.

Franklin received 10 scholarship offers over the past two months, eight of them from Power Four programs. His latest offer came on Dec. 1 from none other than the school he has given his word to: Alabama.

A few miles southeast, St. Michael's star running back Noah Moss flipped his commitment from South Alabama to North Carolina State on Tuesday afternoon. The workhorse back rushed for 2,038 yards and 30 touchdowns this season en route to the program's best year. Moss has 4,327 yards rushing on 8 yards per carry in three varsity seasons, along with 68 career touchdowns.

"Visiting NC State was unreal," Moss said. "The atmosphere, the relationships built so far, and conversations with Coach Doeren and Coach Goebbel have been incredible. I think what was most impactful was seeing the respect Coach Rivers has for their program and coaches. I knew right off the bat I'd be in good hands."

Moss held offers from 17 Division I programs, including scholarships from every Ivy League school. Similar to Franklin, his most recent offer came from NC State in late November before announcing his flip on Dec. 2.

Both players are also following in the footsteps of their head coaches, with Moss heading to Phillip Rivers' alma mater at NC State and Franklin committing to Kenny King's former program at Alabama. Stay tuned for a full signing recap coming soon.