National Signing Day tracker: Baldwin County athletes put pen to paper to seal college commitments

BY COLE McNANNA
Sports Editor
cole@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 2/7/24

Senior student-athletes all over Baldwin County locked in their new college homes during Wednesday’s National Signing Day.

Local schools were busy with ceremonies where athletes signed to …

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National Signing Day tracker: Baldwin County athletes put pen to paper to seal college commitments

Posted

Senior student-athletes all over Baldwin County locked in their new college homes during Wednesday’s National Signing Day.

Local schools were busy with ceremonies where athletes signed to play football, soccer, baseball and volleyball as well as track and field.

Among the football highlights included six state champion Gulf Shores Dolphins, seven Fairhope Pirates where three will remain teammates and four more Foley Lions with three staying in state. Daphne had four signees put pen to paper on Wednesday and Elberta, Robertsdale, Bayside Academy and Orange Beach all had one representative sign.

Below are Baldwin County’s National Signing Day signees that have been reported.

Bayside Academy Admirals – Graham Uter (SMU football), Blakeley Robbins (Montevallo volleyball) and Aldo Bryant (Southern Maine)

Graham Uter, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound lineman, became Bayside Academy’s first AHSAA North-South All-Star on the football field and will represent the Admirals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with the SMU Mustangs.

He was joined by state champion volleyball player Blakeley Robbins who penned her commitment to the Montevallo Falcons. Robbins was also an AHSAA All-Star, was named MaxPreps’ National Player of the Year for Alabama as a junior and was named the statewide player of the year for Class 6A as a senior by the Alabama High School Volleyball Coaches Association.

Aldo Bryant was an all-state honorable mention at goalkeeper last season as he helped the Admirals to a second consecutive state championship.

Daphne Trojans – Nick Clark (Delta State football), John Davis (Belhaven football), Hayden McLaurin (Austin Peay football) and Al Woodard (Tuskegee football)

A quartet of standouts from Daphne signed their National Letters of Intent together at Trojan Hall. They helped Daphne to a 4-2 mark in Class 7A Region 1 to earn their first trip to the postseason since 2021 and also donned the Trojans’ all-black alternate uniforms for the first time.

Elberta Warriors – Jaedon Hill (Jacksonville State football), Morgan Thrift (Mississippi College track and field), Jessica Clark (Mobile soccer), Chase Landrum (Mobile soccer)

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks got a big signee off the board with the 6-foot-7, 285-pound Jaedon Hill who was a first-team all-county selection on the gridiron. As the Elberta wrestling team heads to Super Sectionals, Hill owns a 27-0 record in the 285-pound division.

The newest shot put state champion, Morgan Thrift, sealed her commitment to the Mississippi State Choctaws fresh off extending her personal and school records in the event.

Soccer players Jessica Clark and Chase Landrum found the same home and will both suit up for the Mobile Rams next season.

Fairhope Pirates – Preston Godfrey, Barrett Cain, Clayton Noblitt (Mississippi College football), Dallas Boothe (Huntingdon football), Steven Guynn (Kansas Wesleyan football), Sanders Daniell (Harvard football) and Ameyr Adams (Louisiana-Monroe football), plus Ramone Bradley (Class of 2021 to Mississippi College football)

Seven football seniors from Fairhope, as well as another from the Class of 2021, signed to play college football on Wednesday. Four will remain teammates with the Mississippi College Choctaws and another, Dallas Boothe, will remain in state. Sanders Daniell and Ameyr Adams are headed out of state for Division I opportunities.

Foley Lions – Danarius Yearling (West Alabama football), Kolton Nero (Alabama A&M football), Arnez Jones (Savannah State football) and EJ Thomas (Faulkner football)

With four more signees on top of December’s pair, the Foley Lions have six seniors from the Class of 2024 committed to the next level and five of them will be playing in state.

Running back Kolton Nero set program rushing records thanks to blocking from offensive linemen Arnez Jones and EJ Thomas while Danarius Yearling roamed the defensive backfield.

Another offensive lineman Logan Joellenbeck (South Alabama) and receiver Perry Thompson (Auburn) also made in-state signings.

Gulf Shores Dolphins – Ronnie Royal (NC State football), Braden Jackson (Arkansas State football), Kingston Lowe (North Alabama football), Otto Brewer (Southeastern Louisiana football), Bailian King (Lighthouse Christian football) and Mac Anderson (Houston baseball)

Six members from Gulf Shores’ first state championship team sealed their college commitments on Wednesday where linebacker Mac Anderson will be playing baseball at the next level.

Ronnie Royal — the Class 5A Back of the Year — Braden Jackson, Kingston Lowe and Otto Brewer all earned all-state honors and will represent the Dolphins at the next level alongside Bailian King and Anderson.

For a second straight year, Gulf Shores had five football players sign with college teams.

Orange Beach Makos – Chris Pearson (from Houston to Arkansas State football)

An all-state athlete during his time in Orange Beach High School’s Class of 2023, Chris Pearson will team up with Gulf Shores’ Braden Jackson on the Arkansas State Red Wolves.

Pearson was the Makos’ first AHSAA North-South All-Star and won MVP honors in a record-setting 42-7 win before originally heading to Houston to play for the Cougars. After a coaching change, he announced his entrance to the transfer portal and has now landed on Arkansas State.

Robertsdale Golden Bears – Jacob Bullard (Elmhurst football), Kyleigh Kitchens and Emily Smith (Southern Union State soccer), Hannah Johansen (Faulkner basketball), Mallorie Rothe (Bishop State softball), Ethan Parnell and Taylor Jordan (Bishop State baseball), Hayden Weeks and Brennan Paramore (Reid State baseball) and Riley Fuller (Lawson State baseball)

A 6-foot-2, 315-pound lineman in Jacob Bullard came off the board from the Robertsdale Golden Bears and will take his talents to the trenches of the Elmhurst Blue Jays. With Taven Curry transferring from UAB to ULM, Bullard will be another Golden Bear at the next level.

He was joined by a handful of baseball players, two soccer players, a basketball player and a softball player in penning their commitments.

Kyleigh Kitchens and Emily Smith will remain teammates on the pitch with the Southern Union Bison where they’ll join a host of other Baldwin County alumni.

On the baseball diamond, two pairs of Golden Bears will do the same where Ethan Parnell and Taylor Jordan are both taking their talents to the Bishop State Wildcats while Hayden Weeks and Brennan Paramore will become Reid State Lions after their final season in Robertsdale.

St. Michael Cardinals – Bryanna Marks-Craig (Webber volleyball), Lizzy Stroud (Southern Union soccer), Tatum Hoffman (Birmingham Southern soccer) and Landry Mavar (UAB cheer)

With four signees, St. Michael’s National Signing Day representatives are all heading in different directions after their time as Cardinals.

Lizzy Stroud and Tatum Hoffman will look to reproduce last year’s historic season that saw St. Michael earn its first Red Map trophy as state runners-up.

Spanish Fort Toros – Chandler Wilson (Louisiana-Monroe football) and Bree Blackmon (Tusculum football)

Spanish Fort had two more football signees put pen to paper on Wednesday where Chandler Wilson cemented his commitment to former Toro head coach Bryant Vincent.

Bree Blackmon, a 6-foot-2, 285-pound lineman and former Alabama State pledge, committed to the Tusculum Pioneers on Tuesday and made it official on National Signing Day. They join other former Toros in Sterling Dixon, Cole McConathy, Jacob Godfrey and Carl Fauntroy in finding college homes.