Notre Dame Set to Host Top Running Back in the 2027 Cycle: Kemon Spell Film Review

Since leaving Penn State to become the Running Backs Coach at Notre Dame, all Ja'Juan Seider has done is help bring in top-tier talent for his position group. Seider's recruiting prowess led to the commitment of not one, but two, of the most coveted running backs in the country from the class of 2026, in Javian Osborne and Jonaz Walton. Pair that with the fact that Notre Dame currently has the best RB tandem in college football, with Jeremiyah Love being a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate, and all signs are pointing up for the runners in South Bend. If recent news is any indication, an even brighter future for that position group may be in the store, which is hard to fathom.

Photo via Kemon Spell (Instagram, @kemonspell)

Kemon Spell, who has been committed to the Nittany Lions for just about a year, is the number one running back in the 2027 class and the number one player in the state of Pennsylvania. Spell, who picked up an official offer from Notre Dame in March of 2025, has now set an "unofficial" visit to South Bend in September for the Texas A&M game. Can Seider once again work his magic and reel in an elite blue-chip talent away from his former employer?

What Kemon Spell did as a Sophomore was nothing short of phenomenal. His almost 1,700 yards and 24 rushing touchdowns helped lead McKeesport High School to a 4A Championship appearance, but the real eye-popping number was his 10.7 yards per carry. Averaging a first down every time you touch the ball is no small feat at any level of football. It feels like he is just getting started, and playing in an option-style offense will give him plenty of opportunities to make plays, and I would not be surprised if he cracked the 2,000-yard mark in one or both of his final high school seasons.

The film is what you would want to see from a No. 1 prospect, and Spell is worth the hype. As always, the criteria for evaluation will be graded on a scale of 1 (Poor) to 7 (Elite). Let's get into it!

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Competitive Toughness: Elite (7)

I'll start this section by commenting on a few things that stood out to me that are unrelated to him being a running back. Spell also doubles as a cornerback for his high school squad, and plays the position with a hard nosed style, not scared to lay the wood on opposing receivers but more importantly, never giving up on plays, showing a consistent high effort level, with a willingness to try to chase plays down no matter where he is on the field. That same effort shows itself on offense, in the form of hawking down defenders that pick off his QB, showing no signs of picking and choosing when to go full speed. On the running back side of things, you couldn't ask for a better competitor. At 5'9 and over 200 pounds, Spell has a strong base and plays with a low center of gravity, giving him elite contact balance and play strength that shows itself time and time again. He constantly runs through contact from defenders at ALL three levels, and utilizes a well-timed stiff arm when he hits the open field that keeps defensive backs from being able to wrap up. He is always fighting for more yardage and at times seems like he is the one seeking the contact. He spent a lot of time as an upback in a Wishbone offense which is much different than playing from depth as a running back, so it will be interesting to see how his ability to be patient and allow blocks to develop comes together at the next level, as he will not always be able to just run through the line of scrimmage head first.

Athletic Ability: Very Good (6)

Spell's burst is elite and a big part of his overall athletic profile. He gets the handoff and gets through the line and up to the second and third levels extremely quickly. He has very good agility in the open field, with the ability to dead-leg a defender without slowing down much. Spell's balance is second to none at the high school level and is the reason for his absurd yards per carry average. His change of direction and jump cut acumen allow him to press the hole and bounce it outside, and reverse field when he hits traffic. He may not possess top-end long speed, but his acceleration allows him to create enough distance that he does not get caught from behind very often. Has some receiving back potential as well, with the ability to win 1 on 1 vs linebackers on things like Wheel Routes and Angle Routes due to his quickness.

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Vision: Good (5)

Vision is not an area of concern; it's more so an area that is hard to gauge due to the style of offense Spell plays in. As an upback in a triple option, there are not many keys to read; you more so get it and go. The glimpses of his vision that I do see are promising though. He always seems to have a game plan of how he wants to set up defenders and work off his blocks once he gets into some open space. He has a good feel for when the edge defender loses containment and will bounce plays outside in that moment. As mentioned above, when he enters college, it will require a lot more nuance in how he reads blocks and processes the defense, but the foundation is there. His football IQ, which ties in, is not a question for me, as when I watch his reps as a Zone cornerback, which is a more mentally demanding coverage to be in, he generally has himself in the right position to make plays.

Yards After Contact: Elite (7)

This trait ties into competitive toughness but takes the physical ability to do something into account more than the mental willingness. To say Kemon Spell is a human wrecking ball is an understatement. There was no play on his Sophomore film that I watched, where Spell was not either breaking tackles or falling forward for additional yardage. He can go through a defender just as much as he can go around them, and he doles out more punishment than he absorbs. His double-digit yards per carry is a testament to how hard he is to bring down in the open field, especially when he makes it up to the secondary players who routinely whiff on leg tackles. He does an excellent job of keeping his lower half churning and maintaining momentum after the first hit which leads to continuous chunk plays. Spell has a ways to go to fill out his frame, but projects to have a similar stature to last year's Heisman runner up Ashton Jeanty, who is 5'8 and 215 pounds and also used that low center of gravity to his advantage, racking up an FBS record of 1,970 yards AFTER contact in 2024. Spell can't be put in those types of conversations quite yet, but he certainly appears to have a bright future ahead of him.

Players taking visits after committing to other schools is just a part of the recruiting experience, and is the opportunity for players to see campuses and meet coaches they otherwise would probably never get an opportunity to, which is why I always see the value in them taking as many visits as possible. In some instances however, a recruit may see enough on their trip to lead to a re-opening of their commitment and make for some intriguing conversations among recruiting analysts and fans alike about where a player may land. It's too early to tell which of the two Spell's pending visit to South Bend may be, but if Ja'Juan Seider has any say, this may still be a recruitment worth monitoring.

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