On the same weekend that Notre Dame football commit Noah Grubbs led his team to a big come-from-behind win, one of the program's top running back targets had himself a monster game as well. Kemon Spell might be a Penn State commit at the moment, but the Fighting Irish are pulling out all the stops to try and flip him. He showed why once again in his first game of his high school senior season.
The 5-star running back from McKeesport High School (Pa.) racked up 292 yards rushing and four touchdowns on just 13 carries, as well as a 98-yard kick return score, to help his Tigers rout Delaware Valley 51-24 in the season opener.
Notre Dame football recruiting: 5-star RB Kemon Spell ignites the flip buzz
Spell is currently rated as the top running back recruit in the 2027 class and the ninth-best player nationally, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. The Notre Dame football target committed to the Nittany Lions on August 4, 2024, ahead of his sophomore season at McKeesport.
Why none of his teammates celebrating with him? https://t.co/rZ6P5LC0uN
— Dorin Dickerson (@scorindorin) August 23, 2025
His recruitment isn't closed, though; Ohio State and the Fighting Irish have recently offered scholarships, and Spell will visit Notre Dame for a game in October.
The ace in the hole that the Blue and Gold might be holding is that their current running backs coach, Ja'Jaun Seider, recruited Spell when he was at Penn State. He's considered a big reason why the talented running back gave his pledge to Penn State in the first place.
The Notre Dame football team is currently mostly biding its time and waiting for Kemon Spell to take that trip to South Bend and see everything they have to offer. It will certainly be interesting to see what kind of season he's putting together when that October visit rolls around.