Kendricks, Schwartz invited to Senior Bowl

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Former California linebacker Mychal Kendricks and offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz have both accepted invitations to play in the 2012 Senior Bowl, game officials announced on Wednesday. Kendricks and Schwartz become the 31st and 32nd Cal players to be selected to participate in the event.

ALL-TIME CALIFORNIA PLAYERS IN SENIOR BOWL (32)

1956 - Jim Carmichael, E

1957 - Don Gilkey, G

1975 - Steve Bartkowski, QB

1979 - Duke Leffler, OL

1984 - David Lewis, TE

1988 - Ken Harvey, LB; Brian Bedford, WR

1989 - Natu Tuatagaloa, DL; Dave Zawatson, OL

1994 - Todd Steussie, OL

1997 - Pat Barnes, QB

1999 - Marquis Smith, DB; Jerry DeLoach, DL

2001 - Nick Harris, P

2003 - Tully Banta-Cain, DL; Kyle Boller, QB

2005 - Lorenzo Alexander, DL; J.J. Arrington, RB

2006 - Ryan O'Callaghan, OL; Marvin Philip, OL

2007 - Daymeion Hughes, DB; Brandon Mebane, DL

2008 - Thomas DeCoud, DB; Justin Forsett, RB; Lavelle Hawkins, WR

2009 - Zack Follett, LB; Alex Mack, OL

2010 - Tyson Alualu, DL; Syd'Quan Thompson, DB

2011 - Cameron Jordan, DL

2012 - Mychal Kendricks, LB; Mitchell Schwartz, OL

The 63rd edition of the annual Senior Bowl is scheduled to be played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., on Saturday, Jan. 28 (3 p.m. CT/1 p.m. PT). NFL Network will televise the game live and also beginning Monday, Jan. 23, will provide coverage of all practices leading up to the contest.

"We're excited about adding Mychal and Mitchell to our North roster," Senior Bowl President and CEO Steve Hale said. "They both come to Mobile with a lot of experience and we're confident they'll take advantage of this unique opportunity."

Kendricks was Cal's most decorated player in 2011 as he earned several All-American honors during his senior campaign, including second-team recognition by Phil Steele and College Sports Madness, a third-team selection by Yahoo! Sports and an honorable mention pick from SI.com. He was also named the Pat Tillman Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and was a first-team all-conference selection after previously earning second-team all-league honors in his junior season. Kendricks played in all 13 games with 11 starts as a senior, leading the team in tackles for loss (14.5) and tackles (career-high 107), ranking third and fifth in the Pac-12 in those categories. He also co-led the squad with a pair of interceptions that he returned for a team-high 62 yards and a pair of fumbles that he returned for a team-high 33 yards, while adding 3.0 sacks and two pass breakups.

Kendricks played in all 51 games possible with 29 starts during his four seasons at Cal from 2008-11. He finished his career with 259 tackles to rank ninth on Cal's all-time list, while adding 36.5 tackles for loss (-144 yards) to miss finishing among the school's all-time leaders by one-half of a tackle for loss. He added 13.5 sacks (-98 yards), seven fumble recoveries, four interceptions that he returned for 130 yards and a touchdown, five pass breakups and a forced fumble. He also had a punt return in which he was credited with 26 punt returns yards after he blocked a punt before teammate Bryant Nnabuife picked the ball up and ran 30 yards for a score vs. Colorado State in 2008.

Schwartz earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors as a senior after starting all 13 games at left tackle, marking the fourth consecutive season of starting every one of the team's contests. Schwartz finished with 51 career starts, one shy of the school record. As a senior, he anchored an offensive line that blocked for first-year starting tailback Isi Sofele, who posted the sixth-biggest rushing season in school history with 1,322 yards to give Cal a 1,000-yard rusher for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons. Schwartz was also a first-team Pac-12 All-Academic choice as a senior.

The Senior Bowl is college football's premier senior showcase event, annually featuring the nation's best senior collegiate football stars and top NFL draft prospects on teams coached by NFL coaching staffs. Senior Bowl practices and game week festivities are attended by more than 800 general managers, head coaches, assistant coaches, scouts and other front office personnel from all 32 National Football League teams, making Mobile and the Senior Bowl the week-long host to a one-of-a-kind NFL Coaches Convention.

Tickets for the 2012 Senior Bowl are currently available for purchase at the Senior Bowl ticket office (151 Dauphin Street, Mobile, Ala.), all Mobile-area Food For Less locations, select Regions Bank locations, online at seniorbowl.com or by calling (251) 432-4109. For more information on the 2012 Senior Bowl please visit the bowl's website at seniorbowl.com