Ohio State Buckeyes could potentially land former five-star Penn State recruit

James Franklin’s fall from grace in Happy Valley and his subsequent firing have had a domino effect on the program, and one area that has been hit severely is recruiting.

The Nittany Lions received some tough news this week when five-star running back Kemon Spell announced his decommitment from the program. In a tweet from Hayes Fawcett from Rivals, Spell told Rivals that Ohio State is one of the eight programs that are currently of interest to him.

Five-Star RB Kemon Spell tells @Rivals that these 8 Schools stand out to him after decommitting from Penn State

He immediately becomes one of the Top Available Recruits in the country, regardless of classhttps://t.co/bSeLYeRfyb https://t.co/e6CrXqmIaa pic.twitter.com/OZQNIkebrC
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) October 12, 2025

Spell is regarded by most recruiting services as the No. 1 running back recruit in the 2027 class, and he is a consensus top-10 player in the class. The McKeesport, PA native has been a highly productive back throughout his high school career.

In 2024, Spell gained over 1600 yards on the ground to go along with 24 touchdowns. This season, the back has carried the ball 68 times for 824 yards to the tune of 12.1 yards per carry. He has also scored 22 total touchdowns in this campaign.

This past Friday, Spell put on a jaw-dropping display, tallying 420 all-purpose yards and 6 total touchdowns in a 56-31 victory against Mars High School.

From a recruiting standpoint, adding Spell would be a boon to Ohio State and a case of the rich getting richer. The back is a naturally low-to-the-ground runner with workhorse capabilities. His experience playing high school ball in Pennsylvania also bodes well for a transition to Big Ten football and the grittier style of play.

The Buckeyes currently only have one running back committed in their 2026 class (four-star Favour Akih), and they have no running backs committed for 2027, opening the door for a focus on landing Spell.

One point that the Buckeyes’ coaching staff could try to sell the running back on is the ability for Spell to get on the field early and earn playing time as a freshman. Head coach Ryan Day has never shied away from playing guys early if they are capable of handling it.

Freshman running back Bo Jackson has impressed in the first half of this season, having 400 rushing yards and averaging seven yards/carry through five games.

At the time Spell would arrive, the Buckeyes’ running back room could be wide-open, and Spell could make an immediate contribution on offense.

Ohio State will face serious competition for the five-star from the likes of Notre Dame, Georgia, USC, and others, but they could have a legitimate shot to make some inroads with the back. Oregon also offered Spell this past week.

Landing Spell is not a guarantee, but it doesn’t hurt the Buckeyes to take a swing here and see if they can steal a big-time recruit from a Big Ten competitor.