A football competition between two high schools in Pennsylvania has turned up the heat at James Franklin’s Penn State. The reason? One of its RB commits showed impressive flashes of talent at his junior-season debut, throwing the opening kickoff 98 yards for a score. The 5’10, 210-pound RB made another 50-plus-yard touchdown during his first carry. His second carry saw another brilliant 80-yard touchdown, and a 4th one as well, culminating in a 51-24 win. Now, his splendid throws have Penn State on alert. Why? Because, as per the latest intel, a Big 10 rival is eyeing the Nittany Lions’ commit. So, what’s the latest scoop?

Kemon Spell, the five-star prospect and the No.1 player in Pennsylvania in the Class of 2027. The Junior gave his verbal commitment to James Franklin in August 2024, turning down offers from Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and others. But the recruiting landscape is a tricky devil. A player’s confirmation is not solid unless they sign with the program. Meanwhile, other programs are ready to shoot their shot. As for the No. 1 RB in the Class of 2027, Sherrone Moore seems interested in onboarding him into The Wolverines. “Michigan looking to flip the No. 1 ranked 2027 RB Penn State,” reported EJ Holland.

Michigan had offered Spell the same day James Franklin did, but the RB turned down the Wolverines’ offer and shook hands with the Nittany Lions. But the Wolverines are still strong in pursuit. They have scheduled an official visit with him this fall, and as per Michigan insider Ethan McDowell’s intel, the staff at Ann Arbor is making progress. As a sophomore, he didn’t shy away from his explosive performance, as he chipped in 1,681 yards and 24 touchdowns on 157 carries, averaging over 10 yards per carry.

247 Sports’ scout Andrew Irvins made his analysis by saying, “[Kemon Spell is] a mix between a tank and a jackrabbit, which is an extremely difficult combination to tackle. A naturally low-to-the-ground runner with true workhorse capabilities as he constantly bounces off defenders or cuts around them to find extra yardage. Spent much of sophomore campaign deployed as a fullback in a Wing-T offense,” he stated.

Given that, Sherrone Moore was able to flip five-star Bryce Underwood from Brian Kelly’s LSU, can the Wolverines flip another five-star prospect? But Michigan is not the only blue-blood program vying to land Kemon Spell.

Notre Dame, other Blue-blood programs eyeing Kemon Spell

Not just the Wolverines, Kemon Spell has reportedly received offers from other blue-blood programs such as Ryan Day‘s Buckeyes and Marcus Freeman-led Notre Dame, and he has yet to make visits to the Irish and Ann Arbor. Given his impressive run game, the number of offers pouring in only seems obvious.

This fall, he is scheduled to visit four programs. One of which would be at University Park. The rest? Alabama, Florida State, and the Irish’s South Bend. Earlier in June, he took a trip over to Bruins in Los Angeles, and if heeded Rivals’ reporter Tracy McDannald’s intel, the Penn State commit came back impressed. His very own words painted his emotions. “It just took two days for them to get to my heart.” But those flip speculations died out when Spell affirmed to a Nittany Lion fan account claiming that he’d stay with Penn State. He replied positively with roster’s signature roll-cry, “We are.”

Not just that, another flip speculation came out straight out of Notre Dame. Rumours swirled around when RBs coach Ja’Juan Seider landed on the Irish roster; Spell might follow suit. But Spell quashed those rumours by stating that he is shutting down his commitment in an interview with Happy Valley back in March. But as per Mike Singer, Spell is scheduled to visit South Bend in September. And mind you! Freeman has been on a recruiting spree this season. With Singer himself admitting, “They’re getting all their targets; This is a run for Notre Dame that we have not seen before,” he said to Josh Newberg.

Even Josh Heupel‘s ‘T’ is taking an interest in receiving his commitment. Will the five-star RB flip, or will he hold close to his Penn State commitment? One thing is clear. James Franklin is on high alert.