Good morning. Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter has joined the Florida Atlantic University football staff as the Executive Director of Player Engagement, announced Hagerty Family Head Football Coach Tom Herman, Wednesday afternoon. 
 
"His knowledge and experience will help our program immensely through mentoring our players, providing an NFL mindset and logic to decision making, and also making a huge impact on our #TriCountyTakeover recruiting," said Herman.
 
Carter, a Pro Football 2013 Inductee, amassed 13,899 receiving yards, 1,101 receptions, and 130 touchdowns playing 16 NFL seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (1987-1989), Minnesota Vikings (1990-2001) and the Miami Dolphins (2002).

What else can you find mixed into today’s Brew?

🥎 FAU softball announces the Owls' 2024 signing class
🏈 Getting ready for the Green Wave
🦉 And much, much more

📈 STOCK UP

Stock Up is brought to you by Go Solar Power—receive a complimentary Solar and Tesla Powerwall Savings Plan today. Receive a $2,000 rebate check at installation for being an Owl fan!

🔼 That’s What They Said. Let’s take a deeper dive into this Cris Carter/FAU football news. Known for his various television appearances, Carter was a two-sport high school athlete with scholarships to play both, but unlike his brother Butch—a basketball star at both Indiana and the NBA—Cris elected to play football at the Ohio State University, where he became a consensus All-American selection following his junior campaign. The longtime Boca Raton resident has been instrumental as a mentor, motivational speaker, coach, and television personality.

Carter could not come more highly recommended, as can be seen from some of the quotes on this monumental FAU hire:

Troy Vincent, Sr., NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations
"Cris's communication skills and his heart for building relationships make him a valuable team member for the total athlete experience and a tremendous institutional asset to FAU."
 
Deion Sanders, Colorado Football Head Coach
"FAU landed a tremendous coach in Coach Carter but a better man."
 
Urban Meyer, Three-Time National Championship Head Coach
"One the greatest players of all time, Cris Carter. I have known Cris for over 35 years. As a college player, NFL Hall of Famer, and as a friend. When I was Head Coach at the University of Florida and The Ohio State University, Cris would come speak to my teams, be at practice, mentor players, and assist us in identifying and recruiting high school prospects.”

🔼 Bend it Like Beckham. Florida Atlantic volleyball (19-11, 11-6 AAC) earned a huge win on Thursday, topping the previous AAC East leader South Florida (17-11, 11-6 AAC) in four sets to tie the Bulls in the race for the AAC East championship.

Arianna Beckham and Valeria Rosado led the Owls in the win. Rosado posted her team-leading 10^th double-double of the season with a team-leading 16 kills and 10 digs. Beckham also posted a double-double, tallying a team second-best 11 kills and adding a career-best 10 blocks, and narrowly missed a triple-double with eight digs. Victoria Hensley led the Owls in assists, dishing out a team-high 30 assists and tallying the Owls' third double-double with a team-high 11 digs, marking her seventh double-double of the season.

The Owls now set their eyes on an AAC East title as they look to close out the series against the USF Bulls on Friday, Nov. 17, for Senior Day. First serve is set for 2pm ET.

🔼 Beyond Paradise. Week 10 of the 2023 NFL season is in the books, with seven former Florida Atlantic Owls seeing action. Here's a rundown:
 
Active Owls (7)
#2 Azeez Al-Shaair | LB | Tennessee Titans
-  Al-Shaair, currently ninth in tackles across the NFL, added six to bring his season total to 89. He also showcased his range in coverage, not allowing a completion in two targets thrown his way. The Titans ultimately fell to Al-Shaair's former teammate Brandon Walton and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 20-6. More important than the game score, however, was the linebacker continuing to capture the hearts of football fans and fellow players with his powerful story of overcoming adversity. 
 
Titans' Record: 3-6
Next Game: at Jacksonville – Sunday, 1pm ET (CBS)
 
#88 Harrison Bryant | TE | Cleveland Browns
- Bryant was seen plenty in Week 10, not only making the start but adding 24 offensive snaps and 14 special teams plays. In addition to making a catch, the Browns gave him his now-signature sneak to convert the fourth-and-short. He also made an impressive tackle in punt coverage. Down 24-9 late in the third quarter, Cleveland stormed back to pick up a huge 33-31 divisional win over the Baltimore Ravens. 
Browns' Record: 6-3
Next Game: vs. Pittsburgh (and Pierre) – Sunday, 1pm ET (CBS) 

Read the article for more on former Owls and their action in the NFL, along with a clip of Azeez Al-Shaair sharing a touching exchange with the Tampa Bay Bucs’ Mike Evans about his struggle with homelessness.

🔼 Super Eight. Florida Atlantic University head softball coach Jordan Clark announced the Owls' 2024 signing class on Wednesday afternoon.

"This class is going to be something special for Owl fans to watch and get to know,” said Coach Clark. “We have eight amazing young women who are confident in who they are and where they want to spend the next four years. As a coaching staff, this group blindly trusted us without seeing our full vision play out on the field. I know we recruited not only amazing softball players but uniquely authentic women who are going to not only win championships on the field but in the classroom and community.”

“This class brings power, speed, athleticism, and passion. I knew with this class, we had a vision of what type of athletes we wanted and what our team needs were. We feel like we have eight girls who can play various roles if needed. We feel like we got the best of the best in this class, and it's always rewarding when others recognize that as well. We have several in the top 100 rankings for being the best at their positions. The future is bright with the recruiting we have been able to do and will continue growing because these eight have been promoting that Paradise is the place to play! "

Read the article for the background on each of these elite athletes.

The Owls will begin their 2024 season on Feb. 8 at home against Marshall during the Paradise Classic.   

🔼 Last Home, Best Home. The FAU football team returned to the Schmidt Practice Fields on Tuesday morning to begin preparation for No. 17 Tulane. The Owls (4-6, 3-4 AAC) will host the Green Wave (9-1, 8-0 AAC) for the second time in program history for their last home game when Tulane travels to Boca Raton for the Saturday meeting. The game is scheduled to air on ESPN+ starting at Noon.
 
FAU captured the first meeting, 34-17, back on November 2, 2013—the first year of Conference USA membership for the Owls. Coach Tom Herman will guide the Owls in an effort to achieve a similar fate in FAU's first year as an AAC member. It will be the first ranked opponent to play in FAU Stadium since No. 18 UCF visited "Paradise" in 2019.
 
The Owls continue to find new on-field weapons and will continue to rely upon 2023 Biletnikoff and Paul Hornung Award hopeful LaJohntay Wester, the nation's leader in receptions and punt returns. Senior running back Larry McCammon III will close out his outstanding career alongside his fellow seniors on Saturday, while the run game is also sparked by junior quarterback Michael Johnson. 

Some more Brew headlines to keep you in the know ⏬

🏀 FAU hoops, man. Nothin’ better than a good highlight reel. Plus, congrats on 19 consecutive wins at home!

🏐 Time to give props to the Owls volleyball seniors.

⚾️ Congratulations to former Owl Pat Murphy, the new manager of the Milwaukee Brewers!

🔼 The Perfect Match. Katrin Pavkova has committed to join the Florida Atlantic University Owls' women's tennis team in the Fall of 2024.

"We have been tracking Katrin for a while," said Director of Tennis Ricardo Gonzalez. "Katrin plays a big game and has a lot of potential to keep improving. I can't wait to see what is at stake for her. Academics is also a big priority for her, and I am sure she will be extremely successful on and off the court."

Pavkova powered her way to her country's top five at every level, including a fourth-place finish in the U12 Czechia and a third-place finish in 2004, 2017, and 2018.
 
The Vestec, Czech Republic native climbed to an ITF ranking of 234 and has won three ITF doubles titles as well as a Doubles National Championship in 2022, which followed a winter and summer National Championship in both 2016 and 2017.

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🤔 POWER OWLS TRIVIA

Paradise Trivia is brought to you by the PowerOwls Club—an exclusive community dedicated to connecting FAU fans and student-athletes. Stay in the know about all they’re doing here.

Since 1979. FAU is just the ____ team to make the Final Four after never winning a tournament game in the previous season.

Think you know the answer? Scroll down to the bottom to find out!

🦉 ONE BIG THING

🔼 Fandemonium. Thank you, Owl Nation. Tuesday’s men’s basketball game—a commanding 100-57 win over Eastern Michigan—marked the 8th straight sellout and record-setting attendance of 3,161 at The Elly!

😁 TRUST YOUR SMILE

Dental exams on a regular basis are essential to maintaining good oral health. Are you unsure if you should have one? Find out by taking our little quiz. It's an easy method to evaluate your oral health and decide when to schedule your next dental appointment.

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Friday 11/17

🎾 Men’s Tennis 15K ITF

🌊 Swimming @ Patriot Invitational - All Day

🏐 Women’s Volleyball vs. USF @ 2pm ET | Live Stats

🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Chicago State @ 8pm ET | Live Stats

Saturday 11/18

🎾 Men’s Tennis 15K ITF

🌊 Swimming @ Patriot Invitational - All Day

🎉 FAU Football vs. Tulane Alumni Tailgate @ 9:30am ET | More Info

🏈 Football vs. Tulane @ 12pm ET - on Fox Sports South Florida

🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Bryant @ 6pm ET

Sunday 11/19

🎾 Men’s Tennis 15K ITF

Monday, 11/20

🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Stetson @ 4pm ET

Saturday 11/25

📺 FAU Football Watch Party at Tin Roof Orlando @ 12:45pm ET | More Info

Tuesday 12/5

🤝 FAU Basketball Pre-Game Meet-Up in New York City @ 2:30pm ET | More Info

🦉 Click here to view the entire FAU Athletics Calendar

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Fifth!

🦉 Have a great Friday, y’all.