Former O’Dea cornerback Mishael Powell now a standout in Huskies’ DB room

His name was mentioned repeatedly in the days leading up to spring practices, which began Wednesday morning at Husky Stadium.

By his coaches. By his teammates. By the players who have prepared alongside him these past three seasons in Washington’s respected defensive backs room.

Mishael Powell, the former walk-on cornerback from O’Dea High School, who has since worked his way to consistent reps on UW’s defense and was put on scholarship in January, has caught the attention of all of them.

“He’s the one,” said former UW nickel back Brendan Radley-Hiles, who participated in the program’s pro day Tuesday, and is headed to this year’s NFL Draft after playing beside Powell last fall.

“There’s nothing more to say about it. Meesh is the one. He just works so hard, and he’s disciplined. He’s a great person. He’s a great spirit to be around. Great teammate. Great brother.”

Powell, a fourth-year sophomore, appeared in each of the Huskies’ 12 games last season, and started three, playing snaps with Radley-Hiles and two more draft-bound cornerbacks in Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon.

This spring, as part of a young, talented defensive backs room, Powell is among the players vying for a regular starting role.

What he’s accomplished already — Powell did not play his redshirt season in 2019, or the shortened four-game season in 2020, but tallied 300 defensive snaps last fall, per Pro Football Focus, and played another 120 on special teams — hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Huskies’ new coaching staff.

When co-defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell arrived as part of coach Kalen DeBoer’s staff this winter, Powell was a player who stuck out right away.

“He’s been very productive,” Morrell said. “Had some productive run last year, and man, he hasn’t looked back.”

He played four varsity seasons for perennial state power O’Dea during high school, earning an all-state selection as a senior in 2018, when he snagged five interceptions and tallied 52 tackles for the Class 3A state runners-up.

During his career there, he helped the Fighting Irish reach the title game in each of his final three seasons, including winning a championship in 2017.

Considered a three-star recruit, he held offers from three Ivy League schools in Columbia, Cornell and Yale, as well as Air Force, Eastern Washington and Georgetown.

He attended Ivy League camps, among others, the summer before his senior season, but a few months later, committed to the Huskies, joining the hometown program instead as a preferred walk-on.

“I trusted myself, and trusted I could play here and dominate, so that’s what I’m here trying to do,” Powell said.

In choosing UW, Powell considered both what the school had to offer — he is majoring in finance in the Foster School of Business — as well as the chance to play at the Power Five level.

“I wanted to get the best of both worlds — a top football program and a top education,” he said.

When the new coaching staff arrived this winter, it wasn’t long before Powell was put on scholarship.

A video posted to the program’s Twitter account on Jan. 7 shows DeBoer addressing the team, saying, “We celebrate the people that put in the work … the people that are well-respected because of who they are as a person.”

There was a player in the room, he continued, that “has been brought to my attention over and over and over and over again.”

Moments later, he announced Powell was on scholarship, and teammates surrounded him as they cheered.

“I was ecstatic to see it,” said Powell, who hugged teammates and coaches, then called his parents to share in the celebration.

“That man deserved that scholarship,” McDuffie said Tuesday. “That was somebody who was right next to us day in and day out, working as hard as us and honestly he has a bright future for them.

“Huge future.”

Which Powell is determined to continue building with this team, beginning with practices this spring.

“In that moment I celebrated and I was happy, but then the next day — right back to work,” he said.

“His teammates really respect him because they see all the work he put in,” cornerbacks coach Julius Brown said. “I don’t know if I’ve been around a harder-working kid in my coaching career.

“He’s going to give it everything he’s got, and he’s going to work extremely hard.”

EXTRA POINTS

▪ Two-time All-Pac-12 left tackle Jaxson Kirkland was at practice Wednesday, and wore a boot on his right foot. After withdrawing from the NFL Draft due to ankle surgery, he is back at UW, but whether or not he will play is still to be determined.

“He’s enrolled in school, and we have filed a waiver and we have not heard back on that yet,” DeBoer updated during his Monday press conference.

▪ Michael Penix Jr., Dylan Morris and Sam Huard each worked with the offense, as expected, with Morris taking the first reps.

The former Graham-Kapowsin standout, a sophomore, has started all but one game for UW the past two seasons. Huard, who broke the state’s career passing record in high school at Kennedy Catholic, made his first career start in the Apple Cup last fall as a true freshman. Penix, a junior, joins UW this season after four at Indiana.

Huskies offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ryan Grubb said earlier this week the three will see “identical reps between the ones and twos” on offense the first four spring practices.

▪ Former Tumwater standout Cade Otton, who played tight end at UW the past five seasons, attended practice after participating in the program’s pro day on Tuesday. Former Archbishop Murphy star Gordon, who also participated in pro day, was also in attendance Wednesday morning.