This Sentell’s Intel rep on Georgia football recruiting has the latest with 5-star commit Kemon Spell. He ranks as the nation’s No. 1 RB and the No. 7 overall prospect for 2027 on the 247Sports Composite. The Rivals Industry Ranking has him as the No. 1 RB and No. 3 overall.
It was supposed to be a token carry for a promising young freshman at McKeesport High School in Pennsylvania.
Or to put it in terms of Kemon Spell’s new college future, the McKeesport staff was throwing him a bone.
“We don’t play freshmen up here,” McKeesport coach Matt Miller said. “We have a pretty good program. We usually have a big-time stud playing in his sophomore year.”
“We thought we needed him as a backup safety,” Miller said. “We get into the first game of the season and I’m like, let’s just throw the kid a bone. He’s supposed to be pretty good. Let’s hand him the ball.”
As it turned out, the first varsity carry for the 5-star Georgia football commit was nothing of the sort.
Whooooooooosh!
“I just never saw him run like that,” Miller said. “And I was like, ‘What in the world?’ and he went around our right end. He went about 35 yards. Someone pushed him out of bounds. He got the ball again. He took it another 25 yards.”
“He comes off to the sidelines and I was like, ‘What was that? I didn’t know you could run like that’ as he was coming off.”
Spell had a simple reply.
“I just run as fast as I need to,” Spell said.
Miller was floored. Like finding a $100 dollar bill in the pocket of an old hoodie way. There were some stout expectations coming in from middle school ball, but this was a whole other level.
The future 5-star had four carries for 108 yards and two scores. There was one 70-yard run that caught everyone’s attention.
“I was just like ‘Holy cow. This kid can really run,’ and he’s fast and he’s physical,” Miller said.
It was a top speed that Spell hadn’t shown in practice. He’d catch the ball or get a carry and outrun everybody. But this wasn’t that.
“I’d seen that before,” Miller said. “I didn’t realize he was in third gear until that Friday night when he got a ball and I was like, alright, he’s getting the ball a lot from now on in the next couple of games.”
Spell was just waiting a moment like that.
“He didn’t trust me yet on offense,” Spell said. “He didn’t see that I had that gear so I was playing defense the whole game. Then in the third quarter, he puts me on offense. It is my time to get the ball. Our QB is like, ‘Go score. It is your time,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah. Jet Sweep,’ and I see the cutback lane. I hit it and as soon as I put my foot in the ground, that gear came right in. And ever since then, he’s just been giving me the rock.”
That wasn’t the only freshman highlight.
“We played a big rivalry team up in Gateway,” Miller said. “We’re down two touchdowns. He gets the next kickoff after they score. He takes it 88 yards for a touchdown. He comes out the next series on defense, hits a guy, causes a fumble, and recovers it.”
“Two plays later, we pitch him the ball and he scores a touchdown. Like I said, that’s all as a freshman. A big pressure moment against a team in a rivarly and he was the best player on the field.”
Those were two memorable early flashes. When they knew Spell was special.
“I kinda knew,” McKeesport defensive coordinator Troy Blackwell said. “I’d seen him play midget ball. He’s actually my cousin. His mother is my cousin. But not every player who does well in midget ball is elite. But like the third time I saw him carry the ball I was like ‘Little cuz is different,’ and he’s coming in ninth grade. We’re moving guys around and I said Kemon is going to be better than all those guys. I was just telling them. Not being biased. But he was going to be better than all those guys.”
The best carry of his career is a question that will mushroom up so many different answers.
There was a carry in the first game of his junior year where he spins around, jumps backwards and cuts it back against an opponent. There was an end-of-the-half snap in a double-tight I-formation just trying to run the clock out.
“The next thing you know, he’s going 97 yards against one of our big rivals in Thomas Jefferson,” Miller said. “So, yeah, to limit him to one of two runs as his best is quite difficult. But he’s a human highlight film for sure.”
Here’s his dazzling junior tape below. It is very rare for a 16-year-old. He doesn’t turn 17 until April.
“He’s going to play his whole senior year at 17 years old and 17-and-a-half years old,” Miller said. “He’s not going to turn 18 until he’s down there with you guys at Georgia.”
Try to find your favorite run.
The “extra” Intel on Kemon Spell
Most will eyeball that highlight tape and figure that McKeesport is a triple-option team. The reality is that the Tigers are only in that about 20 to 25 percent of the time.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound rising senior will get traditional carries like running the inside and outside zone. McKeesport will run power as well. He’s been flexed out to split end. He’s also lined up in the slot.
“We probably have some more ‘Wildcat’ and quarterback stuff for him this year,” Miller said. “Because he can throw the ball. He can make all the reads.”
“We’re going to open the playbook for sure with him and make sure we get our use out of one of the best players in the country.”
Then he will do things like this highlight from last weekend at a 7-on-7 tournament.
Miller said he’s never seen a situation that seems too big for Spell.
“When the lights turn on, he gets real serious about his game and he’s something special,” his coach said.
“I’ve just never seen anybody who, no matter what the competition is, always seems to be the best guy on the field.”
Have you seen this week’s “Before the Hedges” weekly recruiting special on YouTube yet? Check it out below.
SENTELL’S INTEL
(Check on the recent reads on Georgia football recruiting)
