Husky Roster Review: Esteen Gets Hands on Picks, Minutes Are Next
Makell Esteen has two career interceptions on his ledger, which is more than anyone else on the University of Washington football roster except for fellow safety Asa Turner, who has six.
That's a promising start for the 6-foot-1, 178-pound sophomore from Hawthorne, California. That's also a ready commentary in exposing the Huskies' overall lack of turnovers in recent seasons.
What Esteen needs now is a lot more minutes, significantly more game time, an opportunity to flourish going forward with Kalen DeBoer's staff.
He seemed satisfied with his college football progress last season, with his multiple pass thefts, and he readily acknowledged what needs to be done for him to keep going.
"I feel I could be way more better, more bigger, more physical," Esteen said. "I've still got way more to prove to move up."
Going down the roster from No. 0 to 99, Esteen, who wears No. 24 all to himself, is next up in a series of profiles about each of the Huskies' scholarship players and assorted walk-ons, summing up their spring football performances and surmising what might come next for them.
LIFE OF A PASS THIEF
In last season's opener against Kent State at home, Esteen got on the field for a solitary fourth-quarter play and came off with his first Husky interception in the 45-20 win.
"The one thing about Markell is he's what you call a ballhawk," co-defensive coordinator Willam Inge said. "He will find a way to always be around the ball."
Ten games later, Esteen did it again against Colorado, stepping in front of fourth-quarter pass in a 54-7 victory at Husky Stadium.
He also was sent onto the field a couple of times with everything on the line, most notably early and often in the UW's 45-38 loss at Arizona State. He piled up a career-best 4 tackles that day..
This past spring, the California native ran largely with the second unit as he stays in the mix, encouraged by his coaches to make more things happen.
Esteen came to Washington from Lawndale High in Southern California, where he shared the secondary with a current UW teammate, sophomore cornerback Elijah Jackson, who's making his own positive strides at the college level.
Their aim should be to someday start again together as Huskies.
MAKELL ESTEEN FILE
Service: Makell has appeared in 9 career games, 8 coming last season. He actually played before Jackson did at Washington, appearing in a lone outing in 2020 while his high school buddy had to wait until the following season to debut.
Stats: The young safety has 7 tackles and a pass break-up in his limited UW time so far. Of course, those 2 interceptions make him just one of four DBs on the roster who have a college pick, joined by Oklahoma State transfer cornerback Jabbar Muhammad, who has one from the Big 12; sophomore cornerback Davon Banks, who has one pick at Arizona State; and Turner.
Role: Esteen likely will have to wait for senior safeties Dom Hampton and Turner to graduate to get his big chance, but he should draw more crunch-time minutes in the coming season.
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