All hope isn't lost yet, and Penn State football head coach Matt Campbell's recruitment strategies are already succeeding.
Penn State received good news from 247Sports' latest prediction on where five-star running back Kemon Spell will land. Brian Dohn logged a crystal ball prediction in favor of the Nittany Lions, putting them one step closer in the race with Notre Dame for the elite rusher.
Brian Dohn of 247Sports has logged a new crystal ball for five-star McKeesport (PA) running back Kemon Spell to commit to Matt Campbell and Penn State 👀
— Basic Blues Nation (@BasicBlues) January 17, 2026
The No. 7 player in the 2027 cycle, Spell decommitted from the Nittany Lions in the wake of James Franklin's firing. #WeAre… pic.twitter.com/yNOVpIMQQ9
There are three predictions logged, two opting for Notre Dame. Dohn is the first to put his faith in Penn State.
Spell is the seventh ranked recruit from the Class of 2027, No. 1 overall running back, and top recruit out of Pennsylvania, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.
Penn State earns latest projection in landing five-star RB Kemon Spell
The Nittany Lions and Spell have a love-hate relationship. At the start of his recruitment, it was almost exclusively Penn State all the way. He committed on Aug. 2, 2024 and remained so for over a year.
After seeing a dreadful 2025 season, even before Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin was fired, Spell teetered on de-committing and searching for better options. Franklin's firing put the nail in the coffin and Spell de-committed on Oct. 12. That same day, other Big Ten schools harped on the opportunity and extended offers to the young back: Nebraska and Oregon.
However, Notre Dame and Georgia emerged as new favorites to earn Spell's commitment by the end of November. It appeared that the Nittany Lions were well in the past as Spell looked towards his bright future. That was until the beginning of December after Campbell was hired.
Spell was intrigued by Campbell and was interested in seeing if Penn State was still an option for his collegiate career. On Dec. 10, the Nittany Lions extended an offer and hope only rose since then. On top of Dohn's pick, they also have an advantage of being an in-state school for Spell.
With the latest prediction logged, Penn State went from No. 1 to "never again" to "very likely." All that's left is beating the Fighting Irish, a familiar foe on the field and in recruitment battles. If Campbell can retain this Pennsylvania talent, there's a bright future for the Nittany Lions.