College Football National Signing Day Has Become Beautiful Insanity

National Signing Day for college football takes place tomorrow – and it has become one of the best and oddest parts of the sport.

Quick question, Chop Chat readers: what do hats, family reunions, choreographed videos and even live animals all have in common? Well, the answer is they are all things you will likely see Wednesday during the latest edition of college football’s National Signing Day.

Indeed, the first Wednesday of February has become not just a time where high school players select what school they want to spend the next “three to five years” at (when we all know it’s closer to the first numbers), but a time for the recruit who has been stalked for the last two to three years to have some fun with their moment in the spotlight.

It’s a day that has drawn hate from those old-school types who think the whole idea has gotten out of hand. Those are the ones who remember what it “used to be like” when a player would be in the school library with just their family waiting to fax their signed letter of intent into the school of their choice.

Yes, many schools do actually dust off their fax machines for this day only, but that’s beside the point.

While I will admit it has become more about the show than the fact these high schoolers are about to get a free college education and a chance to continue playing football, it’s beautiful to watch someone realize their dreams – and in some cases becoming the first ones in their family to attend in college, much less go for free.

Too often, we have become a generation of cynical people that just want to look at the negative of things. While there are plenty of negatives out there to focus on, an 18-year-old getting to choose what college he wants to attend is not one of them. It’s insanity at times – but the moments where a Georgia recruit brings out a live animal are worth it in the whole scheme of things.

Wednesday, there will be plenty of moments to add fuel to this debate. A USC recruit may dress up as a trojan warrior or a FSU signee may come in on a Appaloosa horse with a lit spear. If those things do happen, I say good job and congratulations – have fun with the moment before the real work begins.