As rumors started to swirl on Thursday Night that wide receiver Evan Stewart suffered a season ending injury, Oregon fans hoped that the rumors weren't true. On Friday Morning, it was confirmed that Evan Stewart suffered a long term injury which will likely keep him out the entire 2025-26 season.
The Oregon Ducks lose their leading returning Wide Receiver as Evan Stewart caught 48 passes for 613 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2024. Given that Evan Stewart bet on himself returning for his Senior season, the news is especially heartbreaking as he passed up being a Day 2 pick in the NFL Draft looking to prove he had 1st round ability.
The Oregon Ducks now need to seriously overhaul the Wide Receiver room as the vast majority of the room is now gone. Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden are both off to the NFL and with Evan Stewart out for the season, the Ducks lose their three leading wide receivers.
Justius Lowe, Gary Bryant Jr, and Jeremiah McClellan all return for Oregon and are expected to play a significant role but, only combined for 239 yards last season. The Ducks also added transfer wide receiver Malik Benson from Florida State and with a stop at Alabama, Benson has the experience to make an instant impact.
The most important Wide Receiver for the Oregon Ducks is now true Freshman Dakorien Moore. The Ducks signed Dakorien Moore as the Nation's top ranked wide receiver and he was always going to play a role early. On any play, Moore can beat the defense deep which will help as the Ducks look to replace the ability of Stewart and Tez Johnson.
Last season, Jeremiah Smith went from the Nation's top WR receiver recruit to the best wide receiver in the Country helping lead Ohio State to the National Championship. While that level of expectation from Moore is unfair, he'll need to make a massive impact if Oregon is going to make another run in the Big 10 and the College Football Playoff.