Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman losing ground fast with nation's No. 1 running back

At one point, Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame were the team to beat for five-star running back 2027 recruit Kemon Spell, but things have quickly changed. After de-committing from Penn State when James Franklin was fired, Spell reopened his recruitment, and it seemed like the Irish were in the lead for his new commitment.

However, Spell sat down and spoke with new Penn State head coach Matt Campbell, and it seems like he made quite the impression on the former Nittany Lion commit. Spell even took a trip to Happy Valley, and it was predicted that he would re-commit to Campbell and Penn State.

Notre Dame's grip on Spell was already slipping away, but now there is another contender in the mix for Spell, which could be even worse for Notre Dame. Georgia has entered the chat and Kirby Smart is making a hard push for the five-star running back. It has been reported that Spell has a trip planned to Athens on the weekend of January 31.

Marcus Freeman must make a major move in order to land 5-star RB Kemon Spell

Freeman is certainly a coach who could make a major move for the elite running back that is Kemon Spell, but it is going to be tough for Notre Dame to compete with the NIL packages that both Penn State and Georgia can offer. Smart is hosting a large number of top-ranked 2027 recruits this upcoming weekend in Athens, and it wouldn't surprise many if he landed a few commitments.

Spell is a highly sought-after recruit for a reason, as 247Sports Composite rankings have him ranked as the No. 7 player in the Class of 2027, the No. 1 running back in his class, and the No. 1 player in the state of Pennsylvania.

Freeman is going to have to make some sort of major move to get Spell back, thinking about the Irish, but it could potentially be too late. All eyes will be on Spell after his visit to Georgia, but he could decide to wait on his commitment for a while longer.