Pair of Husky Walk-Ons Enter Transfer Portal

Camdyn Stiegeler and Habib Bello have left the UW program.

Quarterback Camdyn Stiegeler gave it two years, defensive tackle Habib Bello just one, but on Tuesday this pair of University of Washington football non-scholarship players, or walk-ons, left the program and joined the growing horde in the transfer portal.

They became the second and third UW players to go this route once the portal reopened, joining scholarship safety Vincent Holmes who earlier in the day was reported to be on the move, as well.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Stiegeler from Oregon City, Oregon, signed on with the Huskies in 2022 after Kalen DeBoer became the coach, ever hopeful against long odds.

DeBoer had brought in then-Indiana transfer Michael Penix Jr. to compete with returning Husky starter Dylan Morris and touted redshirt freshman Sam Huard, leaving not much room for another quarterback to do anything except serve as practice fodder, often just throwing in drills and never getting into scrimmage situations.

Penix is preparing for next week's NFL draft, possibly as a first-round pick, while Morris transferred down to James Madison and Huard did the same by joining Cal Poly. Stiegeler should be advised to drop down a level or two of college football and find a place he can play.

Habib Bello (93) waits his turn to hit the blocking sled.

Skylar Lin Visuals

Stiegeler brought good size to the Huskies, but hadn't shown he was a proven winner, with Oregon City High School team in the Portland suburbs finishing 2-8 when he was a senior. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

The 6-foot-2, 310-pound Bello came to the Huskies last year from Sehome High School in Bellingham, Washington, where he was a second-team, all-conference pick. However in Montlake, the defensive tackle largely was injured last year, never suiting up for games.

Bello came to the UW thinking his quickness might give him a chance, but he apparently realized that wasn't going to happen after going through the early spring practices, so he's in the portal. He has four seasons of eligibility remaining.

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