Evan Stewart
Evan Stewart didn't play a snap in 2025 -- a torn patellar tendon took the whole year. Now the former five-star is back at full practice, calling it "do or die." A healthy Stewart changes everything about Oregon's offense.
Evan Stewart didn't play a snap in 2025 -- a torn patellar tendon took the whole year. Now the former five-star is back at full practice, calling it "do or die." A healthy Stewart changes everything about Oregon's offense.
The story here is a comeback, not a stat line. Stewart, a former five-star and a productive starter at Texas A&M and Oregon, tore his right patellar tendon before the 2025 season and missed all of it. He returned to full spring practice on day one and has framed 2026 in his own words as "do or die" -- a contract-year bet on himself after a serious injury. The forward stakes are the simplest and hardest kind: does the explosive talent come all the way back? If it does, a healthy Stewart reshapes Oregon's receiver room overnight and re-enters the draft conversation. The talent was never in question; the knee is. 2026 is the answer.
PLAY STYLE
Stewart's game, when healthy, is built on speed and separation -- the five-star traits that made him a productive Power Four starter before the injury. The honest framing for 2026 is that the projection rests on his recovery: he did not play in 2025, so there's no current-season tape to grade, only a serious knee injury and a full return to spring practice. The questions that matter are the burst, the change of direction, and the explosiveness off the line -- everything a torn patellar tendon threatens. If the movement returns, so does a dangerous vertical weapon. Until the fall, this is a talent-and-comeback bet, framed honestly as one.
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2024
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Dan Lanning.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Career stats
Receiving
Traditional receiver line with season-by-season growth baked in.
Rushing & Returns
Extra-touch value for all-purpose profiles.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 7 · 2024
W 32–31
vs Ohio State
7 rec · 149 yds · 1 TD
Edged out Ohio State at home in a shootout.
How he plays
PLAY STYLE
Stewart's game, when healthy, is built on speed and separation -- the five-star traits that made him a productive Power Four starter before the injury. The honest framing for 2026 is that the projection rests on his recovery: he did not play in 2025, so there's no current-season tape to grade, only a serious knee injury and a full return to spring practice. The questions that matter are the burst, the change of direction, and the explosiveness off the line -- everything a torn patellar tendon threatens. If the movement returns, so does a dangerous vertical weapon. Until the fall, this is a talent-and-comeback bet, framed honestly as one.
2026 Outlook
Returning to Oregon for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Wide receiver · Oregon
Returning around him
- 19% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
- 7 Oregon players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -17 net (13 in / 30 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Oregon · Last season: 13-2 (AP #5) · Talent rank #5 · 2026 recruiting class #5
Perception vs tape
Evan Stewart didn't play a snap in 2025 — a torn patellar tendon took the whole year. Now the former five-star is back at full practice, calling it "do or die." A healthy Stewart changes everything about Oregon's offense.
The story here is a comeback, not a stat line. Stewart, a former five-star and a productive starter at Texas A&M and Oregon, tore his right patellar tendon before the 2025 season and missed all of it. He returned to full spring practice on day one and has framed 2026 in his own words as "do or die" — a contract-year bet on himself after a serious injury. The forward stakes are the simplest and hardest kind: does the explosive talent come all the way back? If it does, a healthy Stewart reshapes Oregon's receiver room overnight and re-enters the draft conversation. The talent was never in question; the knee is. 2026 is the answer.
How he plays
Stewart's game, when healthy, is built on speed and separation — the five-star traits that made him a productive Power Four starter before the injury. The honest framing for 2026 is that the projection rests on his recovery: he did not play in 2025, so there's no current-season tape to grade, only a serious knee injury and a full return to spring practice. The questions that matter are the burst, the change of direction, and the explosiveness off the line — everything a torn patellar tendon threatens. If the movement returns, so does a dangerous vertical weapon. Until the fall, this is a talent-and-comeback bet, framed honestly as one.
Development
Development Trajectory · receiving yards
2022–2024-6%
Down 6% — context-dependent (injury / role change?).