The Fax machines in football offices from Lincoln, Neb., to Piscataway, N.J., worked overtime today, delivering letters-of-intent for the players of tomorrow. Yes, the future begins today. Here’s a look around the Big Ten on this big Signing Day 2014.

Bo Pelini and Nebraska have a new closer that is tough to top when it comes to recruiting. That would be the “cat” in @FauxPelini‘s Twitter photo. Pelini joked with BTN’s Mike Hall that the cat was influential in landing this year’s recruiting class during Wednesday’s “Signing Day Special.” The cat did make a few “recruiting visits,” after all, according to this tweet. Watch Pelini talk about the cat in this post.

Signing Day sure has changed in the last couple of years, hasn’t it. Yes, the National Letters of Intent are still sent via fax, but teams are going all out on social media to welcome their newest football additions. Some teams even have a draft board. See how Big Ten teams made their signings official on Twitter in this post.

One of my favorite parts of National Signing Day is checking each school’s class for the best names. Per usual, the Big Ten’s 2014 signing class is littered with fantastic names. From Illinois’ Tito Odenigbo to Wisconsin’s Rafael Gaglianone, check out my top 14 (that’s how many schools we have now) new Big Ten names. Did I miss one? Submit it in the comment box at the bottom of the post.

Oh, yes: It’s National Signing Day! It’s a de facto national holiday for many in America. You know who you are. But, hey, who am I to judge? I still eat Fruity Peebles. This day is all about that guy in your office who hits the “refresh” button every nanosecond on his computer to get the latest round of official commitments. Please, don’t rat him out to the boss. Here is a handy-dandy place to keep up with the Big Ten signings.