TAMPA, Fla. — Just hours removed from a 37-24 loss to Florida in the Outback Bowl, Joe Paterno addressed the media for the final time this season.

After admitting that he didn’t get much sleep Saturday night, staying up thinking about what his team could’ve done differently, Paterno sat in front of reporters and spoke about the future of the program.

The 84-year-old coach remains committed to returning to coach the team next season and though 2011 is the last year for Paterno’s contract, he said there is not a succession plan in place.

Paterno repeatedly said “no” when asked if Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley or President Graham Spanier have contacted him about the possibility of helping to name a successor.

“I don’t want to name names,” Paterno said. “I want to make sure that if they’re going to take somebody I don’t think fits in, I’ve been more interested in protecting the assistant coaches than I have been in anything else.”

While he said there have been talks with his staff about what would take place in case something would happen to him, he said it’s mainly meant to solidify job security so an assistant coach wouldn’t be left without a position.

“I want to make sure there isn’t some guy hanging out there who doesn’t have a job who has got a lot of little kids,” Paterno said.

Bradley’s future

The status of defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who showed interest in both the Temple and Pittsburgh head coaching jobs, remains unknown.

Saturday afternoon Pittsburgh fired newly appointed head coach Mike Haywood after he was arrested on a domestic violence charge and once again Bradley’s name has resurfaced as a possible replacement.

Paterno gave his former player and current coordinator an endorsement on Sunday.

“I think Tommy would be, should be a very strong candidate,” Paterno said. “I have not talked to him about the Temple [job]. I said something to him he said, ‘Ah.’ Tommy’s done a good job. He’s a good recruiter, a good coach, he’s organized and I think he certainly deserves some consideration.”

Bradley has been a member of Paterno’s staff for the past 32 seasons and with his strong recruiting ties to Pittsburgh he would appear to once again be in the running for the job if he so chooses.

And Paterno sounded like he would fully support Bradley’s opportunity to further his coaching career.

“I think Tommy should be a very, very prominent person as a possibility,” Paterno said.

Hitting the road

The sun tanned Paterno has been in Florida since Dec. 19 but he said he has spent a lot of time indoors talking to recruits on the telephone.

The Lions have commitments from just nine players, but Paterno said he doesn’t think his age is hurting the program and said recruits don’t ask him whether or not he’ll be around for their entire college career.

However, Paterno said he’s not sure if recruits ask the assistant coaches about the state of the program. But Paterno did say his main focus now is to see if the Lions can reel in a few more recruits.

“There’s no guarantee on anything but I intend to be here and I intend to work hard at the recruiting,” Paterno said. “I think we’re two or three players away from –that we need to add — if we want to be solid depth wise.”

Pitching the Lions’ staff, facility and academic support is something Paterno said he likes the recruits to think about and said he tells them ” ‘what you’re looking at is what you’re going to get.’ ”

Telling the prospects that they are expected to go to class and live up to the standards that the program has is something Paterno said should hold true no matter who the head coach is.

“I never told a kid there’s only one school for them. I wouldn’t do that,” he said. “Heck, I had five kids of my own and none of them paid any attention to me. So why should some guy who doesn’t even know me pay any attention to me?”