Penn State is weeks away from being able to put the finishing touches on its Class of 2026. While new head coach Matt Campbell and his staff work to put together whatever it can in this rushed recruiting process in Happy Valley, the work is also continuing for the first full recruiting cycle for the new staff with an eye on the Class of 2027. Among the key targets for the new staff is a player who is quite familiar with Penn State. And if a new recruiting projection is any indication, Penn State could be back in the mix.
Running back Kemon Spell, the top recruit in Pennsylvania in the Class of 2027, was the first commitment on the board for Penn State when he commited to the program in August 2024. His commitment remained firm until Penn State made an in-season coaching change by removing James Franklin in the middle of the 2025 season. As was the case for many of Penn State’s commitments at the time, Spell backed off his commitment to the Nittany Lions until seeing where the program was heading next. Now that some time has passed, Penn State could be gaining back some recruiting momentum in his recruiting process.
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247Sports national recruiting analyst Brian Dohn went on the record with his updated prediction for Kemon Spell on Saturday, and it is in favor of Penn State. At the time of this post, the only other predictions for Spell were in favor of Notre Dame (by two Notre Dame recruiting experts from 247Sports’ Notre Dame affiliate back in October 2025, after Penn State fired James Franklin). That would seem to be an encouraging sign for Penn State in its pursuit of Spell.
The On3 recruiting prediction still shows a decision for Georgia in winning Spell’s commitment, although it is also likely that the calculation has not been updated since early December based on the information provided.
Spell is the top-rated running back in the Class of 2027 and the top-rated recruit in Pennsylvania. The five-star recruit from McKeesport is rated as the No. 7 player overall in the Class of 2027 according to 247Sports.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Recruiting expert has favorable pick for Penn State with Kemon Spell
