Oregon fans cannot wait to see Evan Stewart back on the field next fall, and he needs to be an impact player for the Ducks if they want to make a run.
Oregon fans everywhere thought there was a chance in December that we would get to see the return of wide receiver Evan Stewart to the Ducks roster.
It ultimately wasn't meant to be, as he couldn't quite get all the way back from his torn patellar tendon. An injury that happened in June of 2025 usually has a return timeline of 6-12 months. He was pushing that 6-month limit, and there may be a silver lining that he wasn't pressured into returning by a chance to play for a National Championship.
Stewart is a guy that head coach Dan Lanning, quarterback Dante Moore, and all of Ducks Nation are going to be relying upon to return to form. Not only does he need to return to form, but the expectation is that he is going to be the best receiver on the Ducks roster.
The talented playmaker burst onto the scene in his freshman year in 2022 for the Texas A&M Aggies with a 53 catch, 649 yard season in which he caught 2 touchdowns. Year 2 was a bit of a step back from the speedster as he registered just 38 catches but had 518 yards and four touchdowns. He entered the portal after the 2023 season and headed to the upper Northwest.
Upon his arrival to Eugene in 2024, Stewart made a solid impact with 48 catches for 613 yards and five touchdowns. He was an impact player who was looking to take that next step in 2025 before his season was derailed by injury.
Now, he returns for the 2026 season, coming off a full offseason to get healthy.
Quietly, the Ducks have a very veteran roster, which feels like it is becoming a non-negotiable to make a playoff run in this day and age.
Quarterback Dante Moore is returning instead of leaving for the draft, and something tells me that he and Stewart are going to be close friends this upcoming season.
Standing at just 6-foot tall, Stewart brings a big-play element to the Oregon offense. Over his career, he averages 12.8 yards per catch. Simply put, when he has the ball in his hands, he is electric with it.
The key for him is to get the ball there.
The Ducks' offense is going to go through a personality overhaul after they lost offensive coordinator Will Stein to Kentucky, and they lost arguably their best weapon in Kenyon Sadiq to the draft.
As they always do, the Ducks will be a run-first team, and when it is time to rely on the arm of their veteran quarterback, I expect that he will rely heavily on his veteran wide receiver, Evan Stewart, to make an impact week after week.
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