Recent measurements of baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) have been interpreted as emerging evidence for dynamical dark energy (DDE), based on tensions with cosmic microwave background (CMB) and Type Ia supernova (SN) data within a flat LCDM framework. In this talk, I examine an alternative early-Universe explanation: a modification of the recombination history. Joint analysis of DESI DR2 BAO, Planck CMB, and calibrated supernova data indicate that this modified-recombination model provides a statistically comparable fit to the data while yielding a higher Hubble constant and thus partially alleviating the Hubble tension. Our results offer an alternative perspective on the implications of recent BAO and CMB observations.