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.