Omaha, Neb. ? Despite the anxiety of players and fans, Nebraska is not going to rush to name a new head football coach, athletic director Steve Pederson said on his statewide radio show Tuesday night.

“There is no panic that has set in with me,” Pederson said on his Pinnacle Sports Network show. “There may be panic with other people. But I feel great about where we are and the future of the program.”

Seventeen days have passed since Pederson announced the firing of Frank Solich after a 9-3 regular season.

Pederson adhered Tuesday to his policy of not discussing the specifics of the search for a replacement for Solich.

The names of at least 10 current and former NFL head coaches and assistants have been bandied about. Yet there remain only two publicly confirmed candidates — interim head coach and first-year defensive coordinator Bo Pelini and longtime Nebraska assistant Turner Gill.

Pederson characterized media reports about possible candidates as “throwing darts against the wall hoping to hit something.”

Pederson said he was aware the players had concerns.