Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1526526
5 4 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M I t's no secret that Penn State wants to lock down the best talent that Penn- sylvania has to offer. James Franklin made that clear at his very first press conference as the Nittany Lions' head coach back in January 2014. While the Lions have not gotten ev- erybody they've wanted in the years since, there is a position where they have consistently landed the Keystone State's best prospects: running back. Saquon Barkley of Whitehall High was Franklin's first big in-state suc- cess story at running back, and the fu- ture All-American was soon followed by Miles Sanders of Woodland Hills. Both have gone on to successful NFL careers. Penn State's recruitment of in-state running backs has gotten even better in recent years. Dating back to Nicholas Singleton in 2022, the Nittany Lions have signed or earned a verbal commit- ment from the top running back in the state each year. They landed London Montgomery of Scranton Prep in 2023 and Quinton Martin of Belle Vernon last December and are set to welcome Aliquippa's Tiqwai Hayes and Phila- delphia Imhotep's Jabree Wallace- Coleman as part of their 2025 class. In addition, Harrisburg High running back Messiah Mickens has been firmly committed to Penn State for more than a year in the 2026 class. Now comes the latest highly rated running back to choose the Nittany Lions: McKeesport prospect Kemon Spell. KEYSTONE STATEMENT McKeesport sophomore Kemon Spell is the latest highly rated Pennsylvania running back to give the Nittany Lions his pledge RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M Spell averaged a gaudy 13.8 yards per carry as a freshman at McKeesport (Pa.) High last season. He committed to the Nittany Lions on Aug. 2, becoming the first prospect to join their 2027 recruiting class. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER