logo
Penn State 5-star RB commit seemingly unswayed by UCLA visit

Penn State 5-star RB commit seemingly unswayed by UCLA visit

USA Today10-06-2025
Penn State 5-star RB commit seemingly unswayed by UCLA visit
Penn State seemingly received some good news on the recruiting front on Tuesday.
Kemon Spell, a 5-star running back and the top-ranked player at his position in the class of 2027 according to the 247Sports composite rankings, was the first to commit to Penn State's 2027 class. As Pennsylvania's top prospect, Spell's recruitment has drawn attention from other programs, keeping fans eager for updates.
Despite being committed to the Nittany Lions, Spell visited UCLA over the weekend. According to Rivals reporter Tracy McDannald, Spell came away impressed, saying 'it just took two days for them to get my heart."
Despite speculation that the Bruins could flip his commitment, Spell made two posts on X on Tuesday seemingly confirming his pledge to Penn State. In response to a pair of Nittany Lion fan accounts claiming Spell will remain a Nittany Lion, he replied with the team's signature "We Are" slogan.
There was previously speculation Spell would follow Ja'Juan Seider to Notre Dame after the running backs coach was hired away in February, but Spell ended those rumors when he claimed to be shutting down his commitment in an interview with Happy Valley United on March 29.
Spell, a McKeesport, Pennsylvania, native, was in Happy Valley recently, attending Nittany Lions Camp to open the month. Though he's shown interest in other programs, Penn State still holds a commitment from one of the top players in the cycle.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Penn State's preseason US LBM Coaches Poll ranking could be good trend
Penn State's preseason US LBM Coaches Poll ranking could be good trend

USA Today

timean hour ago

  • USA Today

Penn State's preseason US LBM Coaches Poll ranking could be good trend

Penn State ranked No. 3 in preseason US LBM Coaches Poll Penn State will be starting the 2025 season ranked in its highest preseason spot in the US LBM Coaches Poll since 1999. Expectations are high for Penn State, which will start the year off at no. 3 in the preseason coaches poll. If the past decade is any indication, this should be a grerat starting poitn for the Nittany Lions with seven teams ranked third in the preseason poll going on to win a conference championship, and three of those teams went on to win it all. There has only been one team in the last decade to start the season ranked third and not finish in the top 10 at the end of the season, but Penn State is hoping to do more than simply finish in the top 10. Penn State has big goals in mind but is not getting caught up in the hype. Here is a look at how each of the teams ranked third in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll have performed that season over the past 10 years. 2024: Oregon Final record: 13-1, Big Ten champion Final ranking: 4 Oregon was expected to be one of the top teams in the country last season, and the Ducks did not disappoint overall. Oregon went undefeated in the regular season and captured the Big Ten championship in its first year in the conference (defeating Penn State in Indianapolis to do so, of course). Oregon took the top seed in the College Football Playoff with its no. 1 ranking, but the Ducks were eliminated in their first playoff game by eventual national champion Ohio State. 2023: Alabama Final record: 12-2, SEC champion Final ranking: 5 Alabama grabbed a conference championship in the SEC but the mission of winning a national title fell short with a semifinal loss to Michigan in the College Football Playoff. 2022: Georgia Final record: 15-0, SEC champion, national champion Final ranking: 1 Georgia was a wrecking machine in 2022 after starting off the season ranked third in the nation in the coaches poll. Georgia became the third team in the last 10 seasons to start the season ranked third in the coaches poll to go on to win the national championship. 2021: Oklahoma Final record: 11-2 Final ranking: 10 Oklahoma fell shy of playing for a national title by missing out on the College Football Playoff. The Sooners also missed out on playing for the Big 12 championship with a late-season loss to rival Oklahoma State, but Oklahoma still managed to end the year in the top 10. 2020: Alabama Final record: 13-0, SEC champion, national champion Final ranking: 1 The 2020 season deserves a bit of an asterisk for the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the entire sports calendar, but leave it to Alabama to be the team to come out on top of an abnormal college football season. Alabama went undefeated and topped Ohio State for the national championship. 2019: Georgia Final record: 12-2 Final ranking: 4 Georgia was in position for another SEC title run with a shot at a national title in 2019, until the LSU Tigers stormed their way through the college football world. Still, Georgia played for the SEC title and wa sin the playoff hunt all season long. 2018: Ohio State Final record: 13-1, Big Ten champion Final ranking: 3 If not for one massive upset on the road against Purdue in the middle of the season, Ohio State would have been in the College Football Playoff. Instead, they were just on the outside looking in and having to settle for a Rose Bowl victory to cap an otherwise memorable season in Columbus. 2017: Florida State Final record: 7-6 Final ranking: Not ranked In the past decade, no team ranked no. 3 in the preseason coaches poll has had as down a year as Florida State did in 2017. Two weeks into the season, Florida State was dumped out of the top 25 rankings with back-to-back losses to start the season, and they simply could not get a footing the rest of the way. 2016: Oklahoma Final record: 11-2, Big 12 champion Final ranking: 3 Oklahoma lost two of its first three games to start the season, but ran the table the rest of the way for an 11-2 season that felt a little empty in Norman. The Sooners were upset in the first game of the year by Houston and then dominated at home by Ohio State. But they recovered for a top-three ranking at the end of the season. 2015: Alabama Final record: 14-1, SEC champion, national champion Final ranking: 1 A season after losing to Ohio State in the inaugural College Football Playoff, Alabama was ready for a quick rebound in 2015. The Crimson Tide brought back another loaded roster and lost just once in the regular season on its way to a national title. Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

What did James Franklin say about Drew Allar, Penn State football at Big Ten Media Days?
What did James Franklin say about Drew Allar, Penn State football at Big Ten Media Days?

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

What did James Franklin say about Drew Allar, Penn State football at Big Ten Media Days?

Penn State football quarterback Drew Allar may be most anticipated player on arguably the most highly-regarded team in the nation. No surprise that his head coach spent a good chunk of his Big Ten Football Media Day podium time Wednesday in Las Vegas talking about him. James Franklin started his 15-minute session with a curious and praiseworthy statistic about the senior QB who has been heavy on superlative passing numbers but light on signature victories. Franklin's note: Allar is one of only two FBS quarterbacks since 1956 with 800-plus career pass attempts, 50-plus touchdown passes and 10 or less interceptions (Baylor's Bryce Petty, 2011-14, is the other). Of course, Allar, who certainly rates as one of college football's top returning QBs, hopes to be much more than gaudy numbers for a team that continues to be lauded with hype and honors and should boast its highest preseason ranking in more than 25 years. Allar joined Franklin in Vegas at this week's annual three-day preseason football festival along with Penn State teammates Nick Dawkins and Zakee Wheatley. Franklin weaved from one topic to another Wednesday, from his new staff to his transfer portal receivers to renovated Beaver Stadium to all of that preseason hype. "Let's be honest. Who really cares about preseason rankings?" he said with a smile. "They mean nothing." One media questioner, though, got him talking about Allar, and he made the most of the opportunity. 'I'm just proud of him. Drew has made tremendous growth every single year, all the way back to recruiting," Franklin said. "I don't know if a lot of people remember but Drew, when we first started recruiting him, was a three-star recruit, kind of a throwback recruit. Kept getting better, kept moving up the charts. "And has gotten better every single year, really in every single area. He's 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds now, can make every throw on the field, has shown he can hurt people with his feet. And has really made tremendous strides as a leader, holding himself to a really high standard and willing to have tough conversations with his teammates. "He's made significant leaps every year and we expect him to take another significant leap this year. Most people had him projected as a first-round draft choice last year and he decided to come back to school. Unfinished business, collectively, as a team, but also as an individual. I'm a big Drew fan. 'He's really what's it all about. It's team, team, team. It's community. It's Penn State. Proud of him." Frankin's media session furthered another promising Penn State week as far as preseason hype and expectations − the Lions boasting their most talented, experienced and possibly deepest team yet under Franklin. On Monday, Penn State received more prominent picks to win their first league title in nine years, including from USA Today Sports Network and the Preseason Big Ten Football Poll. Franklin also garnered Big Ten preseason coach of the year predictions in these rankings. On Tuesday, the Lions garnered the most players (tying Ohio State) on the Big Ten 16-member preseason "honors" list: quarterback Drew Allar, running back Nick Singleton and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton. Singleton was the only running back chosen. Allar was one of two quarterbacks (with Illinois' Luke Altmyer) and Dennis-Sutton was one of two defensive lineman (with Indiana Mikail Kamara). Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState. This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Big Ten Media Days: James Franklin on Drew Allar, Penn State football

The fastest Nittany Lion? 3 things we learned from Penn State football media day
The fastest Nittany Lion? 3 things we learned from Penn State football media day

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

The fastest Nittany Lion? 3 things we learned from Penn State football media day

STATE COLLEGE − Drew Allar was more mobile last season, a better quarterback runner, so to speak. And offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki expects even more improvement in that part of his Penn State football quarterback's game for this increasingly hyped and anticipated fall. For the team that expects its highest preseason ranking in more than 25 years. Allar significantly increased his rushing attempts (96) and net yards (302) and improved his rushing average (3.1 per carry) in 2024. Recently, Allar has talked about tailoring his nutrition and workouts to cut down on body fat and weight (down to between 230 and 235 pounds) to become even quicker and even more durable. 'Now, he's moving awesome," Kotelnicki said during Saturday's annual media day sessions. He broke into a good-story-to-come smile. "He's wearing sweatpants in practice and I said, 'Dude, you got to wear shorts because you got great hamstrings now. You know what I mean? Show those things off.'" Here are four things we learned about this College Football Playoff favorite during the first week of preseason practice: Penn State football: The fastest Nittany Lion? It's a defensive back Running back Nick Singleton may own the best power-speed combination on the team. Transfer receiver Devonte Ross arrives with top-end lateral quickness. He expects to be a big-play, downfield burner. But the fastest Nittany Lion? By pure speed metrics, tops on the team reportedly comes from the defensive back room. Junior cornerback Elliot Washington claims a stunning 4.29-second 40-yard dash. Junior safety King Mack boasts a 4.31. Corners Audavion Collins and Zion Tracy are close behind. "Having a corner that runs 4.3 and having a safety that runs 4.3, that's literally cutting the field down in half (on defense)," Mack said. "I can honestly say having the fastest (defensive back) corps in college football, there's going to be a lot of plays made this year. " Why people should be talking more about Khalil Dinkins The Penn State tight end room is transitioning from one superstar (Tyler Warren in 2024) to an expected time share among three promising performers (Khalil Dinkins, Luke Reynolds, Andrew Rappleyea). The leader is Dinkins, the senior who is receiving increasingly rave reviews for his blocking. He expects to improve, too, upon his 14 receptions and two touchdowns last season. "He did all the dirty work last year," Franklin said. "(He's) big, strong, physical, and his improvement in so many areas since he stepped on campus has been dramatic. I think he's got a very bright future. He's going to have a great year for us and I think he's going to have a chance to play for a long time in the NFL." Healthy Tony Rojas trending at Linebacker U. Tony Rojas couldn't be himself on the field during most of last season. He still impressed as the team's fifth-leading tackler (58) and making three interceptions, including the one he returned for a touchdown in the the playoffs. "Tony really played most of last year with a (shoulder) injury ...," Franklin said. "So being able to have an off-season surgery and get him right ... He is strong (now), he is fast, he is confident. "So he's in a really good place, and we're anticipating him having a big year, but he's still got to go out and do it. He's been very intentional all summer. Been impressive so far in camp." New defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is seeing Rojas in on-field for the first time this week. Rojas did not participate in spring drills. "Just in a couple of days, very impressed," Knowles said. "He seems to have developed physically in the offseason. Not only that but he's picked things up quickly, which is tough to do when you don't get the reps on the field. "He's able to perform within the scheme and utilize his talents in a away, he kind of jumped out in the first two days."Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState. This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State football media day: Drew Allar's big improvement for 2025

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store