When Penn State football was back in the mix to land five-star running back Kemon Spell, Nittany Lion fans were under the impression that head coach Matt Campbell had a real shot to get Spell re-committed to the program.
On Wednesday, it became clear that Campbell never stood a chance against Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and it wasn't because of NIL.
"I could’ve gotten more money from other places, but I picked Georgia for the reasons that I want to get to the NFL and I’ll be coached by the best guy [Smart] each and every day,” Spell told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, as reported by Rivals. “He’s going to be on me and coach me hard. I didn’t pick Georgia for the money. I picked it for the development piece and getting to the [NFL].”
NEW: No. 1 RB Kemon Spell on why he chose Georgia over more money🐶
— Rivals (@Rivals) August 26, 2026
“I could’ve gotten more money from other places, but I picked Georgia because I want to get to the NFL and I’ll be coached by the best guy [Kirby Smart] each and every day.”
(via @PittsburghPG)
Read:… pic.twitter.com/LO3agyZ69J
Matt Campbell was willing to secede to NIL's power, but it never would've worked
According to Rivals, the blue and white were willing to up the NIL deal for Spell to stay in Pennsylvania. Pete Nakos reported back in July, as Pope wrote, that Penn State was nearing the $1 million range for the 2026 running back.
Despite Spell having a very large NIL deal with the Bulldogs, around that number as well, he said that he wasn't focused on chasing the money. Rather, the development piece and road to the NFL were more important.
The development aspect of coaching is something Campbell can surely compete with. Since taking the job in Happy Valley, his approach to recruitment has shifted a bit from where former head coach James Franklin directed his attention. NIL is still not an emphasis, but Campbell also isn't blinded by rankings and ignoring the three-star talent he can turn into great players.
What Campbell can't compete with is the NFL path. Over his head coaching career at Iowa State, he's produced 15 NFL draft picks over his 10-year stint, including San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery.
Over Smart's 10-year tenure leading Georgia, he's produced 84 total draft picks and 21 first-round selections at that. In the 2026 NFL Draft, offensive tackle Monroe Freeling was the No. 19 overall pick going to the Carolina Panthers.
At running back in particular, Smart's produced seven NFL rushers and Campbell's produced four.
In 2025, Smart also had the second-leading rushing team in the SEC in total yards (2,426) and fifth-leading team in rushing yards per game (186.6). Campbell's Cyclones were seventh in the Big 12 in both total rushing yards (2,096) and yards per game (174.4).
Even though Spell toyed around with the idea of settling back in with the Nittany Lions, Campbell never stood a chance against Smart. He hasn't proved himself at the Big Ten level and doesn't have the production Spell wanted. It's not that Campbell's resume isn't substantial, he just can't compete when it comes to top recruits in the country like No. 6 nationally-ranked Spell.
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