JoePa's Recruiting Pitch is Working, but is it True?

Several high school players who have recently committed to play for Joe Paterno at Penn State say they are being told that, even if JoePa retires, his successor will come from within his staff (presumably, that man would be defensive coordinator Tom Bradley).

This is nothing new, of course. Paterno has been telling recruits this for years. And this year, the sales pitch seems to be working especially well: Penn State has already won verbal commitments from 16 players for the Class of 2009.

There's just one problem: It's not clear if Paterno's line about his successor coming from within is actually true.

That's because Penn State President Graham Spanier just last week told curious Penn State trustees that no decisions had been made regarding Paterno's successor. According to the Penn State Daily Collegian, Spanier said flatly: "We haven't made any decisions nor have we named anyone. We've made no commitments, and we've made no decisions."

Interesting, huh?

Photo: Penn State coach Joe Paterno says his successor will come from within his own staff. Penn State President Graham Spanier doesn't seem to know what Paterno is talking about. (Hunter Martin/Getty Images)