Penn State football running back commit elevated to five-star prospect

Penn State football is looking to 2027 commit Kemon Spell to keep the program’s pipeline of talented in-state running backs alive into the near future. On Wednesday, the McKeesport running back reached another milestone in his recruitment, becoming the Nittany Lions’ first five-star prospect in the 2027 class.

Spell earned his fifth star in the 247Sports Composite Rankings for the 2027 cycle. Now the nation’s top running back and the No. 1 recruit in the Keystone State, the rising junior is the No. 10 player overall in 247Sports’ national rankings.

However, the future Nittany Lion has his sights set on much more.

“Blessed to [be] ranked a five-star, [but] I’m not done climbing until I get that number one spot in every category,” he wrote on X Wednesday night.

#AGTG Blessed to ranked a 5 ⭐️ im not done climbing until I get that number one spot in every category Also blessed to be number 1 running back in the nation and number 1 in the state 🙏🏾🙌🏾 TRULY blessed #Blessed @McKTigersFB @PA_TodaySports @Rivals @On3Recruits @wpialsportsnews pic.twitter.com/PXkDc0WB96

— Kemon spell (@KemonJones9) April 23, 2025

While 247Sports is the first outlet to elevate Spell to five-star status, he was already the nation’s top running back and No. 7 prospect in On3’s 2027 rankings. The future All-American Bowl participant rushed for 1,681 yards and 24 touchdowns as a sophomore.

Spell recently shut down his recruitment, reaffirming his commitment to the Nittany Lions following running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider’s departure for Notre Dame.

With three pledges, Penn State football had been one of the few programs with commitments in the 2027 recruiting cycle. However, after a busy week across the country, the Nittany Lions have been knocked from their perch as the nation’s top recruiting class. Sitting behind Florida State, Penn State now has the No. 2 class in America, according to 247Sports.

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