MOBILE, Alabama - Alabama safety Robert Lester and long snapper Carson Tinker and Auburn tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen are coming to the 2013 Senior Bowl.

On Thursday night, Phil Savage, the executive director of the all-star game, said those three players had notified Senior Bowl officials that they were accepting their invitations to play in Mobile on Jan. 26.

On Wednesday, the Senior Bowl confirmed that Alabama linebacker Nico Johnson of Andalusia had joined the all-star roster.

Savage said the Senior Bowl was waiting to hear from four Alabama players to whom invitations had been extended - center Barrett Jones, guard Chance Warmack, nose tackle Jesse Williams and tight end Michael Williams.

Lutzenkirchen is the only Auburn player invited to the game so far.

The Senior Bowl delivers its invitations through each team's head coach.

The Senior Bowl will be a Coastal Alabama homecoming for Lester (6-foot-2, 210 pounds), who was a prep standout at Foley.

Lester has four interceptions for the top-ranked Alabama defense this season to boost his career total to 14 heading into the Crimson Tide's showdown with Notre Dame for the BCS national championship on Jan. 7.

Tinker (6-1, 220) stepped out of the anonymity usually accorded long snappers after the tornadoes that devastated Tuscaloosa in 2011. Tinker's girlfriend died in the tragedy, and he later accepted the 2011 Disney Spirit Award on behalf of his teammates for their efforts to rebuild the community in the aftermath of the natural disaster.

Lutzenkirchen (6-5, 255) was limited to six games this season by a hip injury. He still may not be ready to return to the field by the Senior Bowl. Savage said Lutzenkirchen would have the opportunity to meet with NFL scouts and team officials and participate in the interviews and other off-the-field activities that are such a big part of the Senior Bowl process even if he is unable to suit up.

Even though Lutzenkirchen played in fewer than half of Auburn's games, his 139 receiving yards still ranked second on the team for the 2012 season. Lutzenkirchen caught 15 passes for three touchdowns this season. For his career, Lutzenkirchen had 59 receptions for 628 yards and 14 TDs.

The three additions bring the Senior Bowl's roster to 56, including 13 SEC players.

The other SEC players confirmed as having accepted invitations to play are Arkansas wide receiver Cobi Hamilton and quarterback Tyler Wilson, Florida running back Mike Gillislee, Georgia wide receiver Tavarres King and safeties Bacarri Rambo and Shawn Williams; Kentucky guard Larry Warford, Missouri linebacker Zaviar Gooden and Texas A&M linebacker Sean Porter.

Here's a breakdown of the players confirmed for the Senior Bowl by position:

Quarterback: Mike Glennon, North Carolina State; E.J. Manuel, Florida State; Tyler Wilson, Arkansas.

Running back: Kenjon Barner, Oregon; Johnathan Franklin, UCLA; Mike Gillislee, Florida.

Wide receiver: Aaron Dobson, Marshall; Cobi Hamilton, Arkansas; Chris Harper, Kansas State; Tavarres King, Georgia; Aaron Mellette, Elon; Quinton Patton, Louisiana Tech; Markus Wheaton, Oregon State.

Tight end: Philip Lutzenkirchen, Auburn; Vance McDonald, Rice; Ryan Otten, San Jose State.

Center: None.

Guard: J.C. Tretter, Cornell; Larry Warford, Kentucky,

Offensive tackle: Oday Aboushi, Virginia; Ricky Wagner, Wisconsin; Brian Winters, Kent State.

Long snapper: Carson Tinker, Alabama.

Place-kicker: Dustin Hopkins, Florida State; Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State.

Defensive tackle: Everett Dawkins, Florida State; Cory Grissom, South Florida; Jordan Hill, Penn State; Kawann Short, Purdue; Brandon Williams, Missouri Southern State.

Defensive end: Ziggy Ansah, BYU, Margus Hunt, SMU; Alex Okafor, Texas; Trevardo Williams, Connecticut.

Linebacker: Kiko Alonso, Oregon; Jamie Collins, Southern Miss; Zaviar Gooden, Missouri; Khaseem Greene, Rutgers; Nico Johnson, Alabama; Sean Porter, Texas A&M; John Simon, Ohio State.

Cornerback: Johnny Adams, Michigan State; Marc Anthony, California; Robert Alford, Southeastern Louisiana; Marc Anthony, California; Will Davis, Utah State; Dwayne Gratz, Connecticut; Leon McFadden, San Diego State; Jordan Poyer, Oregon State; Desmond Trufant, Washington; B.W. Webb, William & Mary; Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Connecticut.

Safety: Robert Lester, Alabama; Bacarri Rambo, Georgia; J.J. Wilcox, Georgia Southern; Shawn Williams, Georgia.

Punter: Ryan Allen, Louisiana Tech; Jeff Locke, UCLA.

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