Dad went to Harvard. Mom, to Columbia. Powell: straight to Miami from national title game
His dad went to Harvard. His mom, Columbia.
So, we’re assuming Miami safety/nickelback Mishael “Meesh Powell,” a sixth-year Washington transfer from Seattle who entered the portal four days after his Huskies lost to Michigan in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, might have substantial brainpower.
He sure seemed like he did during his first interview with the Miami media on Friday after the Hurricanes’ third session of spring practice. Powell, who called himself a “big Ivy League guy,’’ initially chose the Huskies as a walk-on over offers from Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Penn.
“Not to brag, but I was pretty smart,’’ he said. “So, I had all the Ivy League schools... But University of Washington was a team at the time that had really good defensive backs. All that hard work got me to Miami right here, right now.’’
At Washington, where Powell played safety, cornerback and nickelback during his career, he started all 15 games last season and had some of the best pass coverage metrics in the nation, per Pro Football Focus. Powell, 6-1 and 210 pounds, allowed just 8.8 yards per catch, tied for fifth among all FBS safeties who were targeted at least 50 times. He allowed just two touchdowns and had interceptions against Michigan State, Arizona State and Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game. His 89-yard interception return for a touchdown came against ASU.
He had six pass breakups, 38 tackles and eight tackles for loss last season.
Powell said he chose Miami because it was a “great program.’’
‘Known winner’
“Coach [Mario] Cristobal is a known winner,’’ Powell said. “Everywhere he’s been, he’s won games. He was at Oregon and he won there. He’s trying to build that culture here and that’s a culture I want to be a part of and take this thing all the way to the national championship.’’
The next step for Powell?
“Just being elite in everything,’’ he said. “Playing that nickel position, you can’t just be elite at one thing. You’ve got to be elite at blitzing, you’ve got to be elite getting off blocks, you’ve got to be an elite tackler, you’ve got to be an elite cover.
“You can’t do just one thing really good. You’ve got to do everything really good. That’s what separates the top nickels in the country. They make extraordinary things look ordinary.’’
Defending Ward
Powell was asked about new UM quarterback Cam Ward, against whom he competed multiple times when Ward played at Washington State.
“He’s a winner — straight winner,’’ Powell said. “He’ll do anything he can [for] us — on his feet, with his arm... He’s a team player, a leader, great guy in the locker room. We’re in that practice, man, it feels like the Super Bowl going against him every rep.’’
Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry said Friday that Powell is already a leader among a thin, inexperienced defensive backs corps.
“Meesh is probably playing the strongest out of the guys that came in,’’ Guidry said. “He’s really, really smart. Of course he’s played a lot of ballgames. He’s played in some really big ballgames — the biggest ballgame in college football. There’s not a lot he hasn’t seen. He’s going to be a really good, really impact player for us.’’
Had he chosen an Ivy League school, Powell said he would have gone to Harvard.
“My dad went to Harvard,’’ Powell said of his father, Darrell, the former chief operating officer of United Way of King County. In January, his father was named the interim chief executive officer of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority.
His mother, Yvonne Terrell-Powell, PhD, is director of equity, inclusion and belonging at Edmonds College outside Seattle.
Though he comes from the cold, rainy Pacific Northwest, Powell said he already loves Miami.
“It’s treating me lovely,’’ he said. “It’s great. The weather is always hot, even when it’s raining. I heard the summer is pretty dangerous, but I’m looking forward to it.’’
