After an undefeated regular season which came to an end against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl, the Oregon Ducks looked to continue building momentum heading into the 2025-26 season. Along with landing one of the Nation's top recruiting and transfer classes, Dan Lanning was able to get several of his players to pass up on the NFL Draft.
The biggest name Oregon was able to get back onto campus was transfer wide receiver Evan Stewart. After transferring in from Texas A&M, Evan Stewart was a key piece for Oregon's offense recording 48 catches for 613 yards and 5 touchdowns. Given that Stewart was the leading returning receiver he was set to put together a massive season in the new look offense.
Oregon Wide Receiver Evan Stewart suffers significant injury
On Thursday, rumors started to surface that Evan Stewart suffered a season ending injury and on Friday morning, 24/7 Sports' Matt Zenitz confirmed Oregon fans worst fears reporting that Stewart suffered an injury earlier in the week,
Oregon star wide receiver Evan Stewart suffered an injury this week and it’s feared to be a significant injury, sources tell @cbssports/@247sports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) June 6, 2025
Stewart, whom @cfbheadlines previously reported had gotten injured, had 48 catches last year.https://t.co/enGBMolxsJ pic.twitter.com/uySuGDVniV
Losing Evan Stewart for the season is devastating for the Ducks as Oregon looks to repeat as Big 10 champions. As Oregon starts Dante Moore this season, having a weapon like Evan Stewart was going to help easy Moore into the starting position. The news is especially devastating as Evan Stewart bet on himself returning this season passing up on the NFL Draft where he was a projected 2nd to 3rd round pick.
The Oregon Ducks still have plenty of talent on the outside as they'll now need wide receivers to step up without Evan Stewart. Justius Lowe and Gary Bryant Jr step into the starting 11 after not making a massive impact in 2024. The Ducks also brought in former Alabama and Florida State wide receiver Malik Benson who's gained plenty of experience over his past two stops.
The player Oregon will need to step up the most is true Freshman 5-star Dakorien Moore who signed as the Top WR in the recruiting class. Moore has the ability to make big plays every time he touches the football which will make him a great potential replacement for Evan Stewart.