Notre Dame is a team to know for a five-star recruit who is committed elsewhere as the Fighting Irish continue to gain momentum
Notre Dame football in hot pursuit of a five-star playmaker committed elsewhere.
Former Notre Dame running backs coach Delend McCullough raised the standard for recruiting and developing top running back talent for the Fighting Irish. Ja’Juan Seider has continued that momentum, and possibly even turned it up a notch. Just take a look at the 2026 class with commitments from Javian Osborne and Jonaz Walton.
With Osborne and Walton already solid in the class, Coach Seider has already turned his attention to the 2027 cycle. One early name to know is 2027 McKeesport (Pa.) High School running back Kemon Spell. The Pennsylvania native is a key target for many reasons, including his impressive talent. One other interesting tidbit is that Spell was previously committed to Seider while he was with the Penn State program.
With plans for Spell to visit Notre Dame on September 13th for their matchup against Texas A&M, he clearly has some level of interest in the Fighting Irish. The talented runner has stated that he was solid to the Nittany Lions in the past, but clearly, it isn’t enough to shut things down completely. They are one of a few programs that Spell has some level of interest in.
Spell is currently ranked as a four-star recruit by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247Sports Composite ranking, Spell is pegged right now as a five-star player. He sits as the No. 9 overall player, No. 1 running back, and No. 1 player in the state of Pennsylvania for the 2027 recruiting class on that ranking.
Even with an early commitment to the Nittany Lions, a long list of impressive programs has continued to pursue Spell heavily. Some of his top offers so far include the Fighting Irish, Michigan, Tennessee, Penn State, Florida State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and UCLA among several others.
As a sophomore in 2024, Spell put together an absurd season for McKeesport. The 5-9, 205-pound runner managed to rush for 1,681 yards and 24 touchdowns, while also averaging an insane 10.7 yards per carry. Spell also averaged nearly 14 yards per carry as a freshman on his way to 517 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
The odds may not be in Notre Dame’s favor to flip Spell right now, but that could change quickly with a great visit next month. The relationship with Coach Seider could be huge in the end. Spell is very much a player to keep close tabs on moving forward.
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