Notre Dame five-star RB target Kemon Spell decommits from Penn State
The nation’s No. 1 running back in the 2027 class and a top Notre Dame football recruiting target is back on the market. On Sunday, five-star talent Kemon Spell decommitted from Penn State.
Spell, also the No. 8 overall player nationally and No. 1 prospect in Pennsylvania out of McKeesport (Pa.) High, backed off his 14-month pledge to the Nittany Lions after the program fired coach James Franklin, also on Sunday. When the 5-foot-10, 210-pound Spell declared to Penn State, current Fighting Irish running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider held the same position in Happy Valley. Seider moved to South Bend in the offseason.
About a month after Seider left Penn State, he offered Spell a Notre Dame scholarship. That happened during the program’s St. Patrick’s Day-themed Pot of Gold Day recruiting event on March 17. Seider then stopped by Spell’s high school later in the spring during the NCAA recruiting evaluation period.
Despite Notre Dame and other schools’ interest in him, Spell told Blue & Gold during a stop by his high school Aug. 22 that he had not considered decommitting from Penn State. However, six weeks later, he began to waver in his decision, even before Franklin’s firing.
“No, I’m not,” Spell told Locked On Nittany Lions host Zach Seyko on Friday when asked whether he was 100% with Penn State. “I’m not 100% with Penn State anymore. I will be taking visits and everything else, so we’ll see from there.”
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RELATED: 5-star RB Kemon Spell: Schools to watch after Penn State decommitment
His first trip as an uncommitted prospect will be to Notre Dame on Saturday for the USC game. He also saw Ohio State on Aug. 31 and has plans to visit Tennessee in November. In addition to those schools, Spell told Rivals national recruiting reporter Hayes Fawcett on Sunday that Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan and USC also have his attention.
“I’m the number one running back in the country,” Spell said back in August. “So, I want to explore my options. God gave me this gift to go take it. So, that’s what I’ve been doing. Just leaving my options open is a good thing for my recruiting process to see where I best fit.”
Spell will be one of four running backs in South Bend on Saturday. Four-stars Noah Roberts, Amir Brown and Wayne Shanks Jr. — the Nos. 5, 20 and 23 RBs in the class — have also told Blue & Gold they’ll unofficially visit Notre Dame for the USC game. For an early look at who else is expected on campus, check out our running visitor list on the Lou Somogyi Board.