2027 5-star RB Kemon Spell decommits from Penn State

McKeesport (Pa.) MAHS five-star running back Kemon Spell has decommitted from Penn State.

He was pledged to the Nittany Lions since Aug. 2, 2024, but is now back on the board after the firing of head coach James Franklin on Sunday. He had maintained an open recruitment since originally committing with other programs in pursuit.

“Yeah you know coach Franklin played a huge role in my recruiting and me being committed,” Spell told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong on Sunday. “Just sucks to see him leave.” Wiltfong has the latest on Spell’s recruitment here.

Spell is the No. 9 overall prospect and top-ranked RB in the 2027 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the top-ranked junior in Pennsylvania.

The standout burner set a lengthy fall visit schedule ahead of the season. When speaking with Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett at the end of August, Spell tabbed Ohio State, Tennessee, Michigan, USC, Notre Dame and Alabama as programs that had a chance to flip him.

Spell was one of three top-100 prospects in PSU’s 2027 class, alongside offensive tackle Layton von Brandt and wide receiver Khalil Taylor. He’s now back on the board as one of the top RB recruits in the nation, regardless of class. Taylor and von Brandt have also decommitted, leaving PSU with zero commits in its 2027 class.

Spell dominating at high school level

The 5-foot-10, 210-pounder has been dominant on the gridiron, but his stock managed to soar higher after an electric junior season debut. He earned high praise from Rivals Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power:

“Spell showed why he’s the top-ranked running back in the 2027 Rivals300 with an utterly dominant junior season debut on Saturday afternoon. Spell showed his elite burst, vision, and contact balance, rushing for 293 yards and four touchdowns on just 13 carries, also scoring on a kick return. One of the touchdowns was of the jaw-dropping variety (first clip in the video below). Spell appeared to be hemmed in against the sideline, but bounced off several defenders before weaving across the field for a long score.

He’s a tackle-breaking machine and has continued to add burst and long speed to his game. We were also highly impressed with his showing in the 7-on-7 setting at the OT7 Playoffs over the summer. There is a lot of football to be played, but Spell has a shot to be one of the better running back prospects in recent cycles.”

Penn State fires James Franklin

In the middle of his 12th season at the helm, Franklin saw his tenure end after a loss to Northwestern over the weekend.

Franklin leaves State College with a 104-45 record since 2014 when he took the job. He is 128-60 overall as a head coach, which includes his three-year stint at Vanderbilt (24-15). Terry Smith will serve as interim head coach for the rest of the season.

A gut-wrenching overtime loss to Oregon on Sept. 27 has spiraled into a three-game skid for the Nittany Lions. They went to Los Angeles and lost to a then-winless UCLA team that had just fired its head coach. Northwestern then went to Beaver Stadium and stunned PSU 22-21 on Saturday, dropping the preseason No. 2 team in the nation to 0-3 in Big Ten play and 3-3 overall.

Entering Sunday, the Nittany Lions have 25 commits in their 2026 class that ranks No. 16 nationally, according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Of those 25 commits, 11 are four-star prospects.

Rivals is garnering reactions from Penn State commits as the former national title contender navigates what’s quickly turned into a nightmarish season.