Notre Dame football makes a big move with dynamic 2027 playmaker, and the Fighting Irish could have a secret weapon to close

Losing running backs coach Deland McCullough to the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason was tough for Notre Dame, but they recovered extremely well while luring Ja’Juan Seider away from Penn State. Since Coach Seider took over, he has hit the ground running on the recruiting trail. His impact has been felt early and often. 

In the 2026 recruiting class, the Fighting Irish currently hold commitments from Javian Osborne and Jonaz Walton. Coach McCullough did the early relationship building, and Coach Seider had to come in and close things out. That success has allowed him to turn his attention to the 2027 group already.

Funny enough, an early player to know for Notre Dame is a player who was previously committed to Coach Seider while with the Nittany Lions. Despite him stating that his recruitment is shut down, 2027 McKeesport (Pa.) High School running back Kemon Spell has continued to maintain a relationship with Seider. 

Spell is even set to make a game visit to Notre Dame on September 13 for their game against Texas A&M according to Ryan Snyder from Rivals. The Pennsylvania native will also be visiting Penn State, Florida State, and Alabama for games as well. 

Clearly Spell isn’t fully settled in his commitment to Penn State. With how much the Fighting Irish have been getting the best of the Nittany Lions on the recruiting trail recently, it could be a good indicator for this particular recruitment. How well that visit goes will determine how likely it is that Notre Dame makes a legitimate move here. 

Spell is currently considered to be a four-star recruit by each of the major recruiting platforms. On the 247Sports Composite ranking, Spell is currently pegged as a five-star player. He sits as the No. 9 overall player, No. 1 running back, and No. 1 player in the state of Pennsylvania for the 2027 recruiting class on that ranking. 

Even with an early commitment to the Nittany Lions, a long list of impressive programs have continued to pursue Spell. Some of his top offers so far include the Fighting Irish, Michigan, Tennessee, Penn State, Florida State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and UCLA among several others. 

As a sophomore, Spell put together an absurd season for McKeesport. The 5-9, 205-pound runner managed to rush for 1,681 yards and 24 touchdowns, while also averaging an insane 10.7 yards per carry. Spell also averaged nearly 14 yards per carry as a freshman on his way to 517 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.