Florida Atlantic Football received a late Christmas gift to close out the New Year on Tuesday night.

After a brief period of deliberation following the end of the year FAU WR Easton Messer is returning to Boca Raton. Messer was the Owls leading receiver this past season, recording 104 receptions for 1052 yards & 6 TD’s.

This marks the second big retainment for Zach Kittley and company, as Messer reunites with long-time friend Caden Veltkamp, who announced he’d be returning for his senior season a few weeks ago.

The Owls have dealt with some big departures at wide receiver so far this offseason, as both Jayshon Platt and Asaad Waseem announced they would be entering their names in the Transfer Portal.  With Platt and Waseem’s exit vacating 110 receptions, 1419 yards and 10 touchdowns from the offense this past season, Messer’s retention is important for an FAU offense that will be looking to build on their positive moments from 2025.

Messer provided a lot of those positives, showcasing his chemistry with Veltkamp right away and building on that throughout the season. While Messer certainly showed his abilities to be a wide receiver 1 in the offense, he also was able to step back and let other wide receivers step up when necessary, showing an unselfish side that allowed the offense to flourish.

With Messer and Veltkamp set to return in 2026, the Owls have a foundation to build on offensively and they can now turn their attention to putting pieces around them to allow the offense to continue to grow.