In a rare quiet moment in the Vanderbilt war room Wednesday, Ava Franklin walked in and was overtaken by curiosity.

“What are the balloons for?” asked the impossibly cute, 5-year-old daughter of the Commodores’ head coach.

For the National Signing Day party, she was told.

Ava thought for a second, then delivered the perspective-packed question of the afternoon, “What’s Signing Day?”

You’ll find out soon enough, kid. But if you must know now …

Signing Day is what has obsessed your father and his colleagues for months. It is what gets him into the office before you awaken, and gets him home after you go to sleep. It is a high holy day in the college football world, a festival of hope for fans and a culmination of dreams for players.

And on Wednesday at your daddy’s office, Ava, Signing Day went like this: … Read More

(via Yahoo! Sports)