Inside The Huskies

Powell Wouldn't Go Away and Now He's Top UW Corner

The Huskies will look to this former walk-on for leadership.

Dan Raley

In this story:

For Mishael Powell, January 7 will always be a moment to remember. It has nothing to do with that infamous day in the other Washington, yet the cornerback resisted when the University of Washington wouldn't offer him a football scholarship. He showed up in Montlake anyway.

On the afternoon of the Seventh this year, Powell gathered with his teammates in a Husky meeting room to hear what more new coach Kalen DeBoer had to say to them.

The thing about DeBoer, they discovered, is he's a man who does his homework.

On the job for just five weeks, the coach set up the moment with some background, queued a graphic to appear on the screen behind him and then delivered the news: DeBoer gave Powell a scholarship.

Players quickly engulfed the defensive back to share in the upbeat moment.

"He's a great leader for these guys," UW defensive-backs coach Juice Brown said. "I think the scholarship was a no-brainer for much of the staff. His teammates really respect him for all the work he put in. I don't know if I've been around a harder-working kid."

In his third year in the program, Powell made a move last fall by leapfrogging several Husky scholarship players to get on the field. He played in 12 games and started against California, Stanford and Washington State.

When eventual first-round NFL draft pick Trent McDuffie was injured, Powell was summoned to replace him, not one of the paid-for players.

This past spring, with former UW starting corners Kyler Gordon and McDuffie entered in the draft, UC Davis transfer Jordan Perryman and Powell spent most of spring practice with the No. 1 defense.

They were two guys who couldn't land Pac-12 scholarships coming out of high school, but have them now. 

They were likely the main reason former 4-star recruit Jacobe Covington, who once had unlimited scholarship choices, transferred to USC.

Covington got passed by Powell last season, when it was time to find a cornerback replacement for McDuffie at midseason, and again this spring, when both Husky starting jobs were available.

That's two different coaching staffs indicating they preferred the Seattle kid who wouldn't go away.

Powell showed he could play during 2021 spring football, when it was Jimmy Lake's team. In scrimmages back then, he left more than one receiver crumpled on the ground with a big hit, while his father, a former college player and staunch supporter of his son, howled his approval.

In an overly young collection of Husky cornerbacks, Powell is the veteran leader now, with Perryman the older one still transitioning from the Big Sky. 

Best of all, for Powell, who won't forget what Jan. 7 did for him, he's getting paid with a scholarship going forward.

LEFT UW CORNERBACK

1) Mishael Powell, 6-1, 203, Soph., Seattle

2) Zhakari Spears, 6-2, 184, R-Fresh., Los Angeles

3) Dyson McCutcheon, 5-11, 181, R-Fresh., Claremont, Calif.

4) Jaivion Green, 6-2, 196, Fresh., Houston

With fall football camp a few weeks away, we're reviewing each starting position and building a depth chart. With Covington growing impatient and leaving, the Huskies have seven scholarship corners vying for time, four of whom we've slotted here on the left side of the secondary. 

After redshirting, Spears appeared to make strides this past spring while rotating mostly between the second and third units, even before Covington left. 

McCutcheon, the son and grandson of former NFL players, had a learning spring and should continue to make progress following a redshirt season in 2021. He comes with a lot of speed.

The fourth player here is Green, a new cornerback and a DeBoer recruit. While he'll need to adjust to Montlake, his Texas high school football background should help make the transition easier. 

Conclusion: Powell is the most experienced of the seven cornerbacks, one of three who have appeared in a UW game (Davon Banks and Elijah Jackson are the others). He's never lacked for confidence. Powell will need it because he and Perryman will be tested as much as anyone on the Husky defense to show they belong. Overall, it's a very young group of corners, with Perryman, a sixth-year player, the only one older than a sophomore. 

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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