We’re back. While Penn State football is gearing up to open its season against Nevada, high school football is also getting started across the commonwealth and the country.
The talk of the Nittany Lions’ recruiting world this past week has been 2027 five-star running back Kemon Spell. The McKeesport, Pennsylvania, native has been committed to Penn State since August 2024, but is garnering plenty of interest from competing blue-blood programs. We’re going to ignore the buzz about him flipping and just
roll the tape here.
Spell began his junior season with a jaw-dropping performance, which featured five total touchdowns and 293 rushing yards. Things started with a bang when he took the very first play of the season to the house — a 98-yard kickoff return. He proceeded to score on his next two rushing attempts, too, from 56 and 80 yards out.
His fifth and final touchdown of the contest, which was a 51-24 win for McKeesport, was perhaps his most ridiculous. It looked a bit like that old mascots vs. kids game. He was just toying with defenders. He’s listed as 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds and looks like the adult in the room.
His full tape from the game is available here.
Penn State’s leading running back in its 2026 class, Messiah Mickens, put on a show of his own last Saturday. He scored four times on 117 rushing yards, leading Harrisburg to a win over Imhotep Charter.
Mickens is listed as a four-star and has impressed me for a while, so it’s great to see his senior season is off to a great start. He admitted after the game that he saw Spell’s highlights from the night before and was hoping to match his performance.
Four-star linebacker Elijah Littlejohn, who will play his senior season at West Charlotte (Charlotte, NC.) after transferring away for a season, had a great first day back. He racked up seven tackles, two TFLs, and a sack in the season-opener, according to MaxPreps.
His speed and violent yet sound tackling style might look a bit familiar to those who have been watching Penn State edge rushers for the past six years or so.