Kirby Smart’s Georgia proves once again why they are the hottest recruiting team, landing their first five-star commit for their 2027 class. This time, it came right under the nose of Ryan Day’s Ohio State, as the Buckeyes have been chasing him since the last cycle.

According to On3’s Hayes Fawcett, Ohio State’s five-star RB target Kemon Spell committed to Georgia. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Spell is the No. 1-ranked running back prospect of the 2027 class and the No. 3 overall prospect nationally. Spell shared the post, confirming the news, with a message to the Georgia fans, writing, “I’m home, go Dawgs.”

Upon declaring his commitment, Spell shared why he committed to the Bulldogs. He said that the relationship with the coach is the driving factor, revealing his meeting with Kirby Smart.

“It’s just the love and relationship between all the coaches,” Spell said about his relationship with Georgia. “I got down there the first time and got to meet Kirby Smart. It was nothing but great. It’s been great every other day since then, and we’ve talked every other day, for real.”

“It’s a great school, great program,” Spell told DawgsHQ. “They’re great at football. As soon as I got the offer, they showed me love right off the rip. That’s something I always look for when I go places.”

Spell, during his sophomore season, rushed 1,681 yards for 24 touchdowns, carrying the ball 157 times. He carried the momentum this past season, totaling over 1,500 all-purpose yards for 23 touchdowns through his first six games for McKeesport.

Spell initially committed to Penn State in August 2024 but withdrew his pledge last October after James Franklin got fired. Following the decommitment, he made an unofficial visit to Georgia in the final weeks of the regular season. Matt Campbell also hosted Spell at Happy Valley. However, after multiple trips to Athens, he declared his verbal commitment to the Bulldogs on Monday.

Spell is the sixth overall commit and first five-star commit for the Bulldogs’ 2027 class, ranking second nationally. Georgia won the recruitment battle over Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Miami. With the Bulldogs winning the recruitment battle over Ohio State, their future home and home-series status looks uncertain.

Is Georgia vs. Ohio State getting cancelled?

The extended playoff brought some big changes to college football and is likely leading to more schedule changes. This past season, Georgia was supposed to play the UCLA Bruins in the season opener at the Rose Bowl. However, it got canceled. At the same time, the Bulldogs’ future matchup against NC State got called up.

At this stage, Georgia’s future matchup against Ohio State raised questions. At this stage, OSU AD Ross Bjork addressed the status of the game. “I have not heard from my colleagues at those schools that they’re interested in not playing those games, even though they’re going to nine (SEC) games,” Bjork said. “I think they view those high-power matchups, if anything, right now. You play them, and you win, and then you’re in a great spot.”

While the Buckeyes’ AD confirmed that there are no changes to the schedule, it is important to note that the SEC teams had to play at least one non-conference Power Four opponent in three non-conference games. With no changes made, Georgia will face Ohio State in 2030 in Sanford and the following year in Columbus.