Syracuse football coaches will have a big-time visitor on campus later this month.
Five-star prospect Kemon Spell, the nation's No. 1 running back in the 2027 class according to multiple recruiting services, will take a game-day visit to the Orange when the team hosts fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member North Carolina in a Friday night showdown, a source has confirmed to me.
Mike McAllister of 247Sports reported this news first. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Spell, on Sunday, de-committed from Penn State after leaders of the Big Ten Conference school fired head coach James Franklin.
The 'Cuse coaching staff offered a scholarship to Spell in May of last year. He holds nearly 20 scholarship offers from teams including Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Pittsburgh and Tennessee, among others.
After a great conversation with coach @NateMcNeal32 blessed to receive a offer from Syracuse university 🟠⚪️ @Coach_2CAP @PA_TodaySports @RivalsFriedman @McKTigersFB @wpialsportsnews @WPIAL_Insider pic.twitter.com/WCVDgJ4VSl
— Kemon spell (@KemonJones9) May 23, 2024
Syracuse football will host 5-star RB Kemon Spell on a game-day visit soon.
Spell is a standout at McKeesport Area Senior High School in McKeesport, Pa., near Pittsburgh. In August, ahead of the 2025 campaign, MaxPreps named him to its preseason junior All-America first team.
According to 247Sports, as a sophomore in 2024, Spell rushed 157 times for 1,681 yards and 24 touchdowns. In 2024, McKeesport went 8-5 overall and reached the championship game of the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League ("WPIAL") Class 4A playoffs. During the team's playoff run, Spell rushed for 280 yards and 274 yards in two separate games.
In 2023, as a freshman, Spell carried the ball 37 times for 517 yards and 12 touchdowns, as McKeesport went 11-2. So far in the 2025 season, the Tigers are 5-3.
When I wrote this column on Tuesday morning, both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated Rivals Industry Ranking placed Spell at No. 8 nationally, No. 1 at running back and No. 1 in Pennsylvania within the 2027 class.
The 'Cuse is off to a good start with its high school junior cycle. Head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff have secured at least six verbal pledges among juniors, all of whom are rated three stars. The 247Sports Composite has this Syracuse football class at No. 4 overall.
Naturally, landing a prospect such as Spell would prove a game-changer for the Orange in 2027. He's got a flood of huge offers, so competition is steep, but with Brown leading the charge, the Orange likely has a shot.