Born and raised in Harrisburg, Pa, Noah Spence played defensive end at Bishop McDevitt High School. Over the course of his junior and senior seasons, Spence recorded 204 tackles and 35.5 sacks. Rivals.com gave Spence a five-star rating and ranked him the number one defensive end heading into college. Spence committed to THE Ohio State University, where he was Urban Meyer's first five-star recruit. Here, as a true freshman, Spence contributed in twelve games recording 12 tackles and one sack. The following year, Spence recorded 50 tackles and 8 sacks, a significant improvement from his freshman season.
On January 1st, 2014, Spence was suspended for three games due to drug use.