Good Morning, FAU Family. Get ready for a night of tropical elegance at "Touchdown in the Tropics" to support the upcoming Florida Atlantic football season and its student-athletes. Join us at the Schmidt Family Complex on FAU's Boca Raton campus on August 21, 2025, from 6-9 p.m. ET.

Come sip, sway, and celebrate the kickoff to the Owls' 25th anniversary season and hear from head football coach Zach Kittley. You’ll also hear from Florida Atlantic President Adam Hasner, Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian White, and student-athletes from the football team.

🏈 : FOOTBALL IS OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY IN PARADISE!
2️⃣ : CHECK OUT THE DAY TWO PROGRESS

What else do we have mixed into today’s Brew? Check it out below!

🏈 Countdown to Kickoff Hits 29 Days
🗣 Many Owls/Team Receive High Academic Honors
🦉 And much, much more

Number of the Day: 2️⃣9️⃣

We’re counting down the days to the return of Florida Atlantic football on August 30 at Maryland! In honor of the countdown reaching 29 days, we take a look at redshirt freshman Kyle Boylston, No. 29 on the squad. Boylston finished his senior year at Trinity Christian with 11 games played, seven touchdowns and 26 catches for a total of 435 yards. The Eagles finished their 2022 season with an impressive 11-1 record.

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🔼 He’s Gonna Need a Bigger Trophy Case. Florida Atlantic football's redshirt junior quarterback Caden Veltkamp has been named to the 2025 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy is given annually to the student athlete who exemplifies community service, academic excellence, and athletic achievement across the FBS.

After arriving in Boca Raton in January, Veltkamp's leadership had an instant impact on the Owls as a regular participant in team community service events. Over the summer, he was named second team on the Phil Steele Magazine all-conference preseason team, fourth team all-conference preseason honors by Athlon, and was selected to the Maxwell Award Watch List.

🔼 Owl Be Watching. Easton Messer, a wide receiver for the Florida Atlantic football team, has been named to the Paul Hornung Award Watch List for the second straight season. The award is given annually to the most versatile player in college football.

This marks another summer accolade for the redshirt junior, who was named to both the Phil Steele Magazine and Athlon Sports' All-Conference first team at wide receiver, while also selected as the fourth team kick returner on the former.

Arriving at FAU from Western Kentucky, Messer is coming off a career-best campaign in which he caught 55 passes for 793 yards and four touchdowns and ranked 27th nationally in kick return yards with 457.

🔼 Student Scholar-Athletes. A total of 274 Florida Atlantic student-athletes earned a place in the 2024-25 American Conference All-Academic Honors announced by the league on Wednesday.

To be eligible for the honor, the student-athlete must obtain a minimum grade-point average of 3.00 for the preceding academic year and complete a minimum of two consecutive semesters or three consecutive quarters of academic work, with a total of 18 semester or 27 quarter credits, not including remedial courses.

🏆 LIST OF STUDENTS 📚

🔼 Swinging For the Fences. The Florida Atlantic softball team has earned the American Conference's Team Academic Excellence Award for the 2024-25 academic year.

The Owls tallied a 3.666 GPA in the past school year, the highest among all softball programs in The American. Individually, 23 players were named to the conference's All-Academic Team for achieving a GPA of over 3.00. 

This marks a continuation of academic and athletic success for the Owls, coming off back-to-back seasons as regular-season conference champions. 

🔼 Playing the Long Ball. Florida Atlantic senior Jake Hibbert and sophomore Andres Atrio have been named Cobalt Golf All-American Scholars. To be eligible for Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar nomination, an individual must be a sophomore, junior, or senior both academically and athletically in NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA. In addition, they must participate in 50% of their team's competitive rounds, have a stroke average under 76.0 in NCAA Division I, and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2.

⛳️ MORE ON THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS 📚

A smile can brighten someone’s day! Let’s celebrate the benefits of a healthy smile and raise awareness about dental health.

1. Confidence Booster: A healthy smile boosts self-esteem. Clean, healthy teeth make you feel better about your appearance, enhancing personal and professional relationships.

2. Improves General Health: Good oral hygiene prevents dental issues like cavities and gum disease and is linked to better overall health, reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory infections.

3. Enhances Digestion: Healthy teeth are essential for proper digestion. Effective chewing promotes better nutrient absorption and overall digestive health.

4. Radiates Happiness: Smiles are contagious! A genuine smile lifts others’ spirits and spreads joy.

Remember, a healthy smile reflects your overall well-being. Prioritize your oral healtH and inspire others. Schedule a dental appointment today to keep your smile bright!

🤓 How many conference titles does the Florida Atlantic football team hold?

Have a guess? Scroll to the bottom to find out!

🦉 ONE BIG THING

Pigskin, Paradise, and Pouring Sweat 🥵. It’s so good to see the squad hitting the field!

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*All Times Are in ET

Thursday, Aug. 14
⚽️ Women’s Soccer vs. Loyola - Season Opener @ 7 p.m. | Live Stats | Tickets

Saturday, Aug. 23
🏐 Volleyball vs. Miami Dade - Season Opener @ 6 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 30
🏈 Football @ Maryland - Season Opener @ Noon TV: Big Ten Network | Radio: Fox Sports 640 South Florida

🦉 Go here for the complete Florida Atlantic University Athletics Calendar

Paradise Trivia is brought to you by Choice Mortgage Group, the Official Mortgage Lender of Florida Atlantic Athletics.

The Answer: Three!

• 2007 (Sun Belt, Howard Schnellenberger),

• 2017 (Conference USA, Lane Kiffin),

• 2019 (Conference USA, shared, led to bowl win)

Florida Atlantic won the 2019 championship by defeating UAB 49-6, the largest margin of victory in a C-USA title game.

🦉 Have a fantastic weekend, Owl Fam!