By Bert Klasey

Mike Leach signed three student-athletes at the start of the early signing period yesterday and also welcomes in a fourth, Rahmel Dockery, who didn't make it to school last season but has started classes this semester.

Although Dockery will certainly be a big play guy in the future, the most important piece of this group might be the kicker, Michael Bowlin. After years of miserable kickoffs, a guy who can consistently kick for touchbacks will be a welcomed sight, especially for the defense. I'm guessing having the opposing teams starting drives in your side of the field consistently had to get old.

The others are RB Teondray Caldwell and OL Denzell Dotson.

Here's more info from the school:

Bowlin, a 6-4, 210-pound kicker from Aliso Viejo, Calif., spent the past two seasons at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif. Bowlin earned Southern California Football Association First-Team honors in 2011 after hitting on 11 of 15 FG attempts and averaging 64.1 yards per kickoff with 14 touchbacks. Coming out of high school Bowlin signed with Oregon but transferred to Saddleback in spring, 2010.

Caldwell, a 5-10, 185-pound running back from Los Angeles, Calif., prepped at Venice High School where he was an all-city selection during his senior season (2010). After rushing for 290 yards in the 2010 season-opener, he finished the season with 1,085 yards and 19 touchdowns despite playing in just eight games due to injury. As a junior he rushed for 400 yards on 47 carries and caught 51 passes for 776 yards and eight touchdowns. Caldwell originally signed with Nevada in 2011 but did not attend.

Dotson, a 6-3, 305-pound offensive lineman who prepped at Cactus High School in Peoria, Ariz., graduated this past December following a season in which he led his team to an 11-2 record and a runner-up finish in the State Championship game. Dotson was a First-Team All-State selection, along with garnering all-conference and All-Arizona honors. He participated in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl Game in Dallas, Texas, Dec. 29.

Dockery, a 5-10, 170-pound wide receiver from Curtis High School in Tacoma, Wash., was named the Tacoma News Tribune's All-State Player of the Year in 2010. He led his team to the a 12-1 record and a semifinal berth at the 4A State Championship while also being named to the TNT's Western 100, and Associated Press and Seattle Times All-State teams.

In case you missed it, and by the television numbers, most of you did - LSU got skunked last night by Alabama 21-0 in the BCS Championship game.

The numbers were so low, they nearly set a new record, recieving only a 14.0 rating. They can be proud of beating Miami-Nebraska in 2002, though, as they received a 13.9.

So why was it so low? First of all, was anyone really that excited about seeing a rematch of two teams that had all ready played each other? If you're going to watch this game a second time, you're probably from Alabama or LSU. The rest of the country was busy watching The Bachelor. Had Okie State made it in, would it have made a difference? YES. See Oregon/Auburn from last year. You need a good offense to get people interested.

Secondly, it's January 9th, for crying out loud. If it keeps going this way, by 2014 the Championship is going to be played right before March Madness.

Finally, I think it's becoming clear that people don't care as much because there was no tournament leading up to this final. It seems empty. You didn't see these teams beat a couple of other teams in a tournament, so if you're not all ready a fan of them (or a fan of spectacle in general) this game has no interest to you. Can the NCAA pull their heads out and PLEASE set up an 8-team tournament? There's not a single fan anywhere who actually likes this garbage.

Go Cougs!