A year of watching from the sidelines or on television didn't keep Evan Stewart down. If anything, Stewart is entering his final season of eligibility with the Oregon Ducks with incredible buzz, both in terms of expectations and his overall energy.
Stewart sat out the 2025 season while recovering from a torn patellar tendon, but that didn't crush his spirit. The Ducks saw breakouts from Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan last season, and after adding more talent to the room in the offseason, Stewart couldn't keep a smile off his face.
"We're all different archetypes," Stewart said at Oregon media day. "When you see one person do something that you're just not that good at, it just makes you want to challenge yourself even more to get better. It's great friendly competition … We can be the best in the country."
Among the Ducks in attendance at media day, there was one common thread: Stewart has taken on a massive responsibility as a leader in the locker room. Dan Lanning singled out the senior wideout at Big Ten media days as someone ready to take that leap. Dante Moore echoed that sentiment on Monday, calling Stewart's offseason work "the greatest offseason I've ever seen."
"The way he just came in every day, early in the mornings, late nights, just pushing himself, pushing the team," Moore said. "Of course, his past year wasn't the year he wanted, and it's just that with that incident, I mean, it just made him love the team even more. Because at the end of the day, we all appreciated him for the supporting things he did."
It's one thing to hear it from your coach, but to hear it from a peer, let alone the guy who is throwing the ball your way, is something different entirely.
"It means a lot," Stewart said. "I love Dante. We have a great relationship, and working with him every single day in workouts and summer conditioning has just been different, and you can really feel the connection in the competition."
That competition extends to the bowling alley, where Stewart, Moore and several Ducks have continued their competitive streaks. Stewart was "late to the party" and had to catch up with the rest of the team and get his own ball. It's another way Stewart has aimed to strengthen the team's bond and maintain a consistent relationship.
"Evan's gone through a lot in his college career, and I think the biggest thing that he had is his leadership," Oregon backup quarterback Dylan Raiola said. "He's brought a lot of leadership to this football team this offseason. He showed it on team rides and walkthroughs and every aspect that you can on this football team. To have a guy that's not the quarterback leading, I think that says a lot about our team culture and guys feeling comfortable to lead and also follow guys that are leaders."
When he's not knocking down pins, he's catching long touchdowns and pulling the top off the secondary. After recovering from his injury, Stewart's legs feel even stronger, leading to a combo of speed and power that he hasn't had throughout his career until now, much to his own surprise.
"I definitely feel more explosive," Stewart said. "I was always a top-end burner. So it was surprising for me, catching myself getting real explosive in acceleration just because I always wanted to have that. Now I feel like I got both."
Raiola has a long-standing relationship with Stewart, having thrown to him in the past in Texas during the offseason. The Nebraska transfer connected with Stewart for a long touchdown in the Oregon spring game , and both seem to be hitting their stride entering a unique season for both.
"I've known Evan for a long time," Raiola said. "I knew when I was throwing to him in Texas that he was a dude, obviously. Not just the stars, but his physical ability on the football field. But to throw to him now, it's kind of come full circle, and we joke about it all the time. He's like, 'I knew we were going to play together eventually.'"
The path forward is treacherous. Despite having arguably the top roster in the nation, the Ducks will need to survive a tough schedule in the Big Ten this season to have the opportunity to overcome the College Football Playoff obstacle that has thwarted the program in recent years.
It could come down to how Stewart leads Oregon's young but talented receiving core, ultimately allowing everyone to break out in the biggest moments. Stewart called out role models he has followed, such as Ainias Smith at Texas A&M and Tez Johnson after transferring to Oregon. Now, it's his turn to put his observations into practice.
"I feel I've always had a leader role to myself because I feel like I do have a good influence on a lot of people," Stewart said. "I've just been trying to be the young people's voice in our room and then get better as a unit."
The pressure on the Ducks won't go away until the program puts a national championship in the trophy case, a feeling that has become common for Stewart. That isn't going away. Surrounded by talent, he doesn't have to be the dominant wideout in the room. It could be anyone.
Still, Stewart would rather have that pressure. Because if you're not expecting to win a championship every season, then the Ducks have the wrong mentality.
"Honestly, since I've gotten here, that's been the pressure, the narrative," Stewart said. "We got the talent, we got the facilities, we got the coaches, we got the players. I just honestly think that it comes down to sometimes luck and sometimes the last play, whatever it is. I think we'll be able to get there this year."
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon WR Evan Stewart feels 'explosive,' talks new leadership journey
