Austin Atkinson could tell you which high-profile college football players the Medal of Honor Bowl has lined up to play in Charleston’s second annual all-star game.

But then he’d have to ask you politely not to tell anyone else. At least, not yet.

Recruiting players for postseason all-star games is not quite as intense as the dog-eat-dog world of college football recruiting. But the battle for NFL Draft-eligible players among all-star games is competitive in its own way, which is one reason the Medal of Honor Bowl is keeping a close hold on its lists of player commitments.

“It can be tough out there,” said Atkinson, the Medal of Honor Bowls’ deputy director of player personnel. “Last year, some of our names got out there early and we lost some players who ended up getting drafted to other games. We don’t want that to happen again.”

Atkinson said the Medal of Honor Bowl has about 50 players committed for its second game, set for Jan. 10 at Johnson Hagood Stadium. But he doesn’t plan to begin rolling out the names until just before Christmas. All told, the Medal of Honor Bowl will have about 104 players divided between two teams, with most of the players coming from schools within a 500-mile radius of Charleston.

Atkinson and veteran coach Cal McCombs, the game’s director of player personnel and a former NFL scout himself, are competing mostly with the East-West Shrine (Jan. 17, St. Petersburg, Fla.) and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl (Jan. 17, Carson, Calif.) for players. The Reese’s Senior Bowl (Jan. 24, Mobile, Ala.) is generally considered the top all-star game, and already has released the names of 63 committed players, including Clemson Tigers Corey Crawford, Stephone Anthony and Grady Jarrett.

Last year, the Medal of Honor Bowl had commitments from wide receivers Matt Hazel of Coastal Carolina, Ryan Clark of Tulane, Michael Campanaro of Wake Forest and Corey Washington of North Charleston and Newberry College. All ended up being drafted, and all ended up playing in other all-star games.

Still, last year’s Medal of Honor Bowl featured three players who were drafted, 73 who went to NFL camps and 28 who were on NFL rosters at the start of the season.

“I wouldn’t say we go after players who have committed to other games,” said Atkinson, who was not affiliated with the Medal of Honor Bowl last year. “But we are inviting players who also have received invitations to other games. We hope they see the light, and that coming to Charleston for a week is better than going to Tampa or to Carson, Calif.”

Toward that end, the Medal of Honor Bowls’ TV deal with NBC Sports Network this year has made a big difference on the recruiting trail, Atkinson said. Last year’s game was not televised, putting the Medal of Honor Bowl at a disadvantage in luring players.

“It’s been a great recruiting tool for us,” Atkinson said. “The players have been able to tell their family, friends and teammates that they will be able to watch them play. It puts us on an even footing with the East-West and NFLPA games.”

Uniquely among all-star games, McCombs and Atkinson have been on the road every weekend since the season started, casting a wide net that covers 21 football conferences around the nation, from the SEC, ACC and Big 12 to FCS and Division II leagues.

“Our approach was to find a 400 to 550-mile radius around Charleston and not miss any of those guys,” Atkinson said. “We’ve visited dozens of programs up and down the east coast, developing relationships with coaches and with NFL scouts. Now, those relationships are paying off. We’ve had SEC head coaches call us to recommend players, and that says a lot about how far we’ve come in stature.”

Atkinson attended the ACC championship game between Georgia Tech and Florida State on Saturday, hand-delivering invitations to players from those schools. He’s invited a “handful of players” from both Clemson and South Carolina, and at least one player from The Citadel is guaranteed a spot in the game.

“Every kid we invite is vetted through NFL scouts and college coaches,” he said. “No player gets an invitation without feedback from scouts and coaches.”

Atkinson also said he expects about 150 scouts and other NFL representatives to attend the week of practices leading up to the game, up from about 108 last year.

Some of the names include TCU quarterback Casey Pachall, one of the top quarterbacks for the 2014 NFL Draft, and Raijon Neal a 1,000-yard rusher from the University of Tennessee. Pachall headlines an impressive list of quarterbacks that include Ohio University’s Tyler Tettleton, a Davey O’ Brien Award candidate and former Maryland and Wisconsin signal caller Danny O’Brien. O’Brien was named ACC Freshman of the Year before finishing his collegiate career at Division II Catawba. Neal rushed for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns in his senior campaign for the Vols.

“This is just the start of what is shaping up to be an outstanding class of future NFL talent coming to Charleston for the Inaugural Medal of Honor Bowl,” said Executive Director Brian Woods.

According to Woods, there will be a total of 92 players participating in the game and they will be divided equally into 46 per team.

Former Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys head coach Chan Gailey will serve as head coach for the National Team while Ralph Friedgen, former assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers, will lead the American Team. The premier all-star event expects to have around 200 NFL scouts, coaches and general managers in attendance when practices begin on January 6.

The all-star lineup also includes some the nation’s top small school prospects like defensive backs Malcolm Butler of West Alabama and L.J. McCray of Catwaba along with D.J. Adams, a running back from Portland State. Both McCray and Butler were on the Senior Bowl Watch List this year and Adams, a former Maryland Terrapin, was one of the top rushers in all divisions finishing his 2013 campaign with more than 1,600 yards.

Two of the most intriguing prospects could come from the wide receiver group as Nathan Slaughter from West Texas A&M and Gerald Ford from Valdosta State highlight the list. The speedy Slaughter has returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in 2013. Ford was a Harlan Hill Trophy finalist in 2012 before an academic issue kept him off the field in 2013.

Another impressive unit is the linebackers corps, which counts Iowa State’s Jeremiah George, Colorado State’s Shaquille Barrett and Xavius Boyd from Western Kentucky among its commitments. George finished the season sixth in the nation in total tackles with 133. Boyd was the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on three separate occasions this year and led the conference in tackles for loss. Johnny Millard, a talented linebacker from Cal-Poly and the son of former NFL player Keith Millard, has also accepted an invite to play in the Inaugural Medal of Honor Bowl.

Highlighting the defensive backfield is Travis Carrie from Ohio University and Albany State’s Dexter Moody. Carrie, a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award (for the nation’s best defensive back) in 2012, returned two interceptions for touchdowns in his 2013 regular season finale. Moody enjoyed a stellar senior year to follow his 2012 campaign, which saw the safety finish third in the nation for all divisions with seven interceptions.

Also accepting an invitation was Wake Forest defensive lineman Nikita Whitlock. Whitlock, who is projected as a fullback in the NFL, will line up on the offensive side of the ball.

Local commitments include The Citadel cornerback Brandon McCladdie and Newberry wide receiver and former North Charleston High School product Corey Washington, Jr.

The Medal of Honor Bowl is scheduled for 2 pm on Saturday, January 11 at The Citadel’s Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, SC. Tickets may be secured at the Medal of Honor Bowl Game’s dedicated website www. MOHbowl.com. They will also be available at www.Etix.com and charge by phone at 800/514-ETIX (3849).

For more information, please refer to www.mohbowl.com, Twitter: @MOHbowl and Facebook.com/MOHbowl

Medal of Honor Bowl Player Commitments (55 as of 12/9/13)