Penn State football's approaching a year on class of 2027 running back Kemon Spell's commitment, but that doesn't mean the elite recruit isn't looking around to see if there's a better fit for his collegiate career.
Offers continue rolling in for the five-star, and he scheduled four official visits for the upcoming fall.
His first stop? Penn State's recruitment foe Notre Dame that has taken targets left and right from the Nittany Lions in the class of 2026. The Fighting Irish started dipping into head coach James Franklin's class of 2027 top recruits too, landing the four-star and No. 2 quarterback Teddy Jarrard.
Spell is set to visit Notre Dame on Sept. 13 and is following it up with a trip back to Penn State on Sept. 27. On Oct. 4 and Oct. 18, he'll take official visits to Florida State and Alabama, respectively.
2027 Penn State 5-star RB commit Kemon Spell has set four visits this fall, per @RyanSnyderOn3✈️
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 28, 2025
Spell is the No. 1 RB in the 2027 class.
Read: https://t.co/8gThZS0tBL pic.twitter.com/9IbcuApX3L
He's isn't visiting Happy Valley on any ordinary weekend, though. Spell's date is scheduled for the Nittany Lions' White Out game against Oregon. It's a must-win for their 2025-26 season in general; if Spell likes what he sees, Penn State might just secure an elite recruit in the process too.
The McKeesport, Pa. native is the No. 9 overall recruit of the class of 2027, No. 1 running back, and No. 1 student-athlete out of Pennsylvania.
"[He's a] mix between a tank and a jackrabbit, which is an extremely difficult combination to tackle," 247Sports' Andrew Ivins wrote in Spell's scouting report. "A naturally low-to-the-ground runner with true workhorse capabilities as he constantly bounces off defenders or cuts around them to find extra yardage."
As a sophomore at McKeesport High School, he recorded 157 carries for 1,681 yards and 24 touchdowns. Spell was used on defense as well. During his team's WPIAL Class 4A playoff run that got all the way to the championship game, the running back posted two, 270-plus yard games, hitting 280 and 274 rushing yards.
"Not a true burner, but can hit the gas when a crease opens up. Frequently thrashes forward at the first sign of contact and almost always seems to be falling forward. Tested reasonably well as a ninth grader at the National Combine in San Antonio and has impressed as a pass catcher on the offseason camp circuit," Ivins wrote. "Fits the bill of a hard-nosed football player given the physicality he also flashes on defense while doubling as a cornerback. Must avoid setbacks, but projects as a potential impact player for a College Football Playoff contender that can move the chains while facing stacked boxes."
Spell visited Happy Valley on April 13, 2024 and received an offer on May 17 of that year. He took his second unofficial visit on July 27 and days later committed on Aug. 2. Aside from the schools he scheduled visits with, he also received offers from Wisconsin, Marshall, UNLV, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Akron, Michigan State, Michigan, UCLA, and Tennessee.