Miami DB Mishael Powell excited about progress: “I enjoyed spring ball, am excited to show you guys what our defense is going to be like”

Miami Hurricanes transfer portal DB Mishael Powell started for Washington at safety on its run to the title game last year. Now, coming off spring drills, he hopes to have his new team find similar success this time around.

Powell spent the spring working at nickel (he was a cornerback prior to playing safety at Washington this past season).

“It’s been really smooth,” Powell told On3’s Andy Staples of his transition to Miami. “Coaches made the process very smooth, and the locker room is full of people laughing and joking as well as the serious side. Everyone welcomed me.

“(Coaches) expect us to play at an elite level at all times. Certain plays we are supposed to make – that’s because of scheme and us trusting the coaching. It’s been great. I enjoyed spring ball, am excited to show you guys what our defense is going to be like.”

Powell says the decision to leave the Huskies wasn’t an easy one – he’d been there four years, and it was his hometown program.

“It was the biggest decision I made, either that or walking on (at Washington),” Powell said. “This felt like the place for me. On the visit they did a great job establishing what they see me at, understanding that family is a big thing for me.”

Yes, Powell began as a walkon at Washington after he was a no-star prospect out of Seattle (Wash.) O’Dea High School in the Class of 2019. His father went to Harvard, his mother Columbia, and he had mostly Ivy League offers out of high school. His parents thought heading to an Ivy League school might be a good decision; Powell had other thoughts.

“I had a few FCS offers, Ivy Leagues, but those were all the offers I really had,” Powell said. “UW being the hometown school, that was the only Power 5 offer I got as a walkon.”

At Washington he rode the bench in 2019 and 2020, then in 2021 got his first action in games as a backup. He started nine games in 2022, then was an every-game starter this past season. He ended with 38 tackles, 2.5 for losses, and three interceptions – one of those was an 89-yard return for a TD with 8:11 remaining and the Huskies trailing by one point to Arizona State. Washington won that game, 15-7. He added nine pass breakups.

As for his Pro Football Focus grades?

In 876 reps this past season he had a 69.0 overall grade and 73.9 cover grade with opponents completing 49 of 66 passes when targeting him for 432 yards. He also was noted with 14 missed tackles (he had a low 39.6 tackle grade). in 2022 he graded out at 61.4 percent with a 62.6 cover grade (52.1 tackle grade with 10 missed tackles). That year he was targeted 42 times and opponents completed 35 of those for 331 yards.

Powell went back-and-forth with 1,000-yard receiver Xavier Restrepo this spring in team drills and is expected to start.

“There’s a reason he was All-ACC, broke the record last year, his work ethic,” Powell said. “It won’t get any harder (than facing him) in games.”

Powell is joined by one other transfer in the secondary so far this year, S Savion Riley, and while the DB room lost a lot of experience other experienced returners are starter CB Daryl Porter, Jr. and Damari Brown, who started at corner late in the year but was limited this spring. Plus Jadais Richard had a very strong spring at corner, and safeties Markeith Williams and Jaden Harris are progressing.

Powell says in particular guys on defense that impressed him this spring were walkon CB Myles Mooyoung along with LBs Wesley Bissainthe and Popo Aguirre, DL Rueben Bain and Harris.

“Going against elite talent – every day going against Cam (Ward), Jacolby (George), X (Restrepo), (Isaiah) Horton, even Elijah (Arroyo), it feels like a game every day. … you have go against elite talent every day.”

Powell also said the “culture, discipline and drive” at Miami is similar to what he had in the Washington program.

“I can feel that same energy,” Powell said.

A final thought from Powell is on Miami QB Cam Ward, who he faced off against at his prior stop when Washington played Washington State the last two years. Washington won those matchups.

“It’s nice -whenever we played him it was `This is a quarterback that is really good, an elite quarterback,’” Powell said. “We always had to bring our `A’ game to contain him and slow him down. Every day I remind him he has yet to beat me at anything when it comes to football. That’s one thing I make sure I get in every day!”

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