Penn State loses commitment from elite 2027 5-star recruit, No. 1 RB in country
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Penn State’s firing of James Franklin will lead to several Nittany Lions recruits reconsidering their commitments.
In fact, their biggest pledge of the 2027 recruiting cycle has de-committed in the wake of the news. Kemon Spell, who verballed in August 2024, has reopened his recruitment, according to Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett.
According to 247Sports’ composite rankings, Spell, from McKeesport, Pa., is the nation’s No. 8 overall recruit and the top-ranked running back. Along with Penn State, his 15 offers include Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Tennessee.
Spell ran for 1,681 yards and 24 touchdowns as a sophomore, putting him on the radar of a host of schools nationally. Most recently, he is coming off a 6-touchdown performance in McKeesport’s 56-31 win over Mars on Friday. That included an 86-yard punt return, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Spell told the Post-Gazette’s Keith Barnes afterwards that he was “not 100% on Penn State” and was set to take further visits. Now, after the firing of Franklin, the junior is, at least for now, focusing on other programs. It bears mentioning that the Georgia offer came on Wednesday, four days after Penn State’s humiliating loss to a previously winless UCLA team.
Below, you can take a look at a sampling of Spell’s highlights, courtesy of Hudl:
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
