College Football’s Top RB Recruit Lands Jaw-Dropping $1 Million Freshman Payday

Kemon Spell became, and has remained, the most consequential running back prospect in the forthcoming college football recruiting class, and he’s going to be paid like one.

Before he even steps foot on the field as a collegian, the incoming Georgia Bulldogs tailback prospect and top ranked back in the country revealed he’s about to cash in $1 million for his first season, and that wasn’t even as much as he could have made.

“I could’ve gotten more money from other places, but I picked Georgia for the reasons that I want to get to the NFL and I’ll be coached by the best guy each and every day,” Spell said in comments to his hometown Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

He added: “[Kirby Smart] is going to be on me and coach me hard. I didn’t pick Georgia for the money. I picked it for the development piece and getting to the [NFL].”

He was college football’s top flip

College Football's Top RB Recruit Lands Jaw-Dropping $1 Million Freshman Payday — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Spell – a native of McKeesport, Pa. – was originally on the books as a Penn State commitment, but the sudden departure of head coach James Franklin after last season’s awful start convinced the player to scout some greener pastures.

Georgia, which had been a prominent feature in Spell’s recruitment from the jump, won out in the end, grabbing its first five-star verbal pledge as a result.

Not that Penn State wasn’t still in the picture, or happy to dole out some serious money itself, with reports suggesting the new Matt Campbell regime was willing to pony up just under $1 million for Spell.

Spell won’t be the highest-paid RB in the 2027 class

Despite being considered the No. 1 running back in this recruiting cycle, Spell is not expected to be the highest paid prospect at his position in 2027.

That honor will seemingly go to David Gabriel Georges, the consensus No. 2 back coming out of high school, who is projected to double Spell’s income, bringing in an estimated $2 million per season after committing to SEC powerhouse Tennessee.

In an expected three year deal with the school, Georges will make a cool $6 million over the course of his college football career, just from that particular arrangement, an amount that could make him the highest paid prospect in the modern NIL era.

NIL has fundamentally reshaped college football, turning top recruits into valuable commodities before they ever take a snap and making player development, opportunity, and financial reward inseparable from the recruiting process for whoever is willing to pay.

(Post-Gazette)

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