Former FAU football and current Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair has achieved what few thought possible when he first arrived on campus over a decade ago. His path from a homeless teenager to Pro Bowl linebacker is a testament to perseverance, and at the center of his story is a coach who believed in him from the very beginning.
Al-Shaair played under head coach Charlie Partridge (2015-2016) and later Lane Kiffin (2017-2018) during his time at FAU. For the Owls, he averaged 396 total tackles (200 solo) and was named 2017 First-team All-Conference USA.
Nick Caley recruited Al-Shaair to play for FAU back in 2013. However, before he ever got the chance to coach him, Caley left the school to pursue a career in the National Football League.
“I would say, like Azeez, you saw a passion, you saw a relentless spirit about him. A strong work ethic, great character, and you just saw a guy that no matter what the circumstances were, no matter what the situation was, he was always going to thrive because of his attitude and his mindset,” said Caley. “It was contagious being around him, and you can do nothing but want to make sure that you find a way to add him to your team. That’s what we did at FAU.”
Al-Shaair was a 3-star coming out of Hillsborough High School, recording 126 tackles and 6.5 sacks in his senior season. What made Al-Shaair a priority recruit wasn’t just his athletic ability; it was his character found through adversity.
For most recruits, this would have been the end of the road: a handshake, a promise, and a coach who moved on. However, Al-Shaair retained the coach’s contact information.
“He’s known me since I was literally 16 years old, and at the time I was staying in a motel and I was homeless. I was staying in the motel with my seven siblings and my mother,” Al-Shaair told the University Press. “He always envisioned me being where I’m at, and that was at 16 years old… he always believed that I could change my family’s life and be in the position that I’m in.”
Al-Shaair also expressed that Caley was the first collegiate coach to learn about his difficult living situation and how their relationship became genuinely transparent and supportive.
“Coaches were trying to meet with me and do house visits, and I was always beating around the bush, but I never told anybody the truth,” Al-Shaair told the University Press. “Talking to him one day … and the connection and conversation that we had from that point forward was just a genuine, transparent one; I valued that, especially from a man.”
When the opportunity to join the NFL came about, Caley made sure Al-Shaair was one of the first people he called. Though their paths diverged, the bond they formed remained intact across the years and miles that separated them.
“A man that I would meet at 16 years old, that truly would see everything that I was going through, I would reunite with at 28 years old,” said Al-Shaair. “To reunite with somebody like that, even though he’s not specifically my coach, but just the man, the person that he is… just grateful.”
Between that first meeting and their reunion in Houston, Al-Shaair’s NFL journey was anything but conventional. He was selected to play in his first career Pro Bowl in December 2025, representing the AFC Division. Going from an undrafted free agent on the San Francisco 49ers to the Pro Bowl is something Al-Shaair said he will forever be grateful for.
“Being undrafted, coming into the NFL with a torn ACL as a rookie, making the team as a rookie, going to the Super Bowl as a rookie… and then, fast forward seven years to be finally getting my first Pro Bowl… just a huge blessing,” said Al-Shaair.
After playing four seasons with the 49ers and one with the Tennessee Titans, Al-Shaair signed with the Texans in 2024, where Caley had joined the coaching staff the year prior; the reunion that seemed unlikely for over a decade finally happened.
“Then you fast forward to [Caley] coming here, and it just felt fake… but it was truly just God’s plan the entire time,” said Al-Shaair, still sounding in disbelief that this is their reality.
Fast forward to today, and the two are finally together on the sidelines in Houston. Al-Shaair had a breakout year and earned his first Pro Bowl selection, was chosen as a finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and helped the Texans’ defense set a new franchise record.
The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award recognizes NFL players for excellence both on and off the field, and for those who knew Al-Shaair at FAU, his selection came as no surprise. Brandin Bryant, a former FAU teammate who went on to play in the NFL himself, recalls Al-Shaair’s character extending far beyond the football field.
“He does a lot of philanthropic work but doesn’t like the spotlight or recognition of it at all,” Bryant told the University Press. “One day, soon after he signed his rookie contract with the 49ers, he and I were walking into a Publix. He stopped at the ATM outside, took out a bunch of cash, and fed a group of homeless people, conversed with them, and gave them some cash to help them. No one knew who he was, and it was completely unplanned. That is the type of guy he is.”
The gesture was particularly meaningful given Al-Shaair’s own experience with homelessness as a teenager; he never forgot where he came from.
“No matter how successful he is or becomes, he remains the same humble guy he was as a freshman in college,” Bryant added.
For Caley, watching Al-Shaair’s success feels like validation of what he saw all those years ago in a teenager from Tampa who refused to let circumstances define his future.
“It’s just a testament to everything he’s poured into it. It’s a great lesson that you get out of it what you put into it,” Caley said. “You do right by people, you work your tail off, you put your best foot forward every single day with a relentless mindset, and you see what can happen. He’s a great testament for that. I’m so happy and proud.”
From a motel room in Tampa to the Pro Bowl, Al-Shaair’s journey exemplifies the power of belief, both in oneself and in those who see potential when others see only obstacles. And for the coach who saw it first, being part of that journey again makes it all the more special.
Angelina Martell is the Editor-in-Chief of the University Press. Email her at [email protected] or DM her on Instagram @angieemartell for more information on this and other stories.
