What Evan Stewart injury means for Oregon: Five-star freshman among players in spotlight expected to step up
Oregon's wide receiver room suffered a devastating loss this week after Evan Stewart, the Ducks' top returning pass-catcher, suffered a lower-body injury that threatens his upcoming 2025 season. One of college football's most dynamic at the position, Stewart was slated to assume WR1 duties for the Ducks with Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden going to the NFL.
Stewart, a former five-star recruit, recorded 48 catches for 613 yards and five touchdowns last season following his transfer from Texas A&M and was primed for a breakout campaign heading into Year 2 within Will Stein's shot-taking scheme offensively.
Senior Gary Bryant Jr. and junior Justius Lowe will have the inside track at impressing the coaching staff with more reps given the state of the room, which will look significantly different with this unfortunate news considering the production void left by Johnson and Holden along with Ryan Pellum's transfer earlier this spring. Both were expected to share time at the slot with Stewart at the Z-position and true freshman Dakorien Moore at X, but first-year wide receivers coach Ross Douglas now has his hands full deciding where to place each target after this unexpected depth-chart casualty.
Bryant only played in two games last season after finishing with 30 catches for 442 yards and four touchdowns in 2023.
Evan Stewart career stats 🏈| Season | Team | Games Played | Receptions | Receiving Yards | Receiving TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Texas A&M | 10 | 53 | 649 | 2 |
| 2023 | Texas A&M | 9 | 38 | 514 | 4 |
| 2024 | Oregon | 13 | 48 | 613 | 5 |
| Career | 32 | 139 | 1,776 | 11 |
Coming out of spring camp, Stewart was the only guaranteed starter for the Ducks at wide receiver given his reliability and now, the battle for his vacated Z-position likely comes down to Florida State transfer Malik Benson or sophomore Kyle Kasper, unless Oregon tinkers with Bryant or Love at the spot.
Redshirt freshmen Dillon Gresham and Jeremiah McClellan will be in the mix as well on the two-deep. Gresham caught three passes for 97 yards and a touchdown during the Ducks' spring game, but he did not play a down as a first-year player.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning said Gresham was one of the team's "most-improved players" during spring camp and said he was finally "showing what he's capable of" in the passing game.
One of the other spotlighted opportunities now belongs to Benson, who hauled in 25 receptions for 311 yards and a touchdown with the Seminoles last fall. A former top-rated JUCO prospect, Benson scored 21 touchdowns over two seasons at Hutchinson C.C. prior to enrolling at Alabama in 2023. If the Ducks can tap into Benson's previous success as a field-stretcher of sorts, his abilities could certainly lessen the impact of Stewart missing expansive time.
No offensive player for the Ducks received more praise during spring camp than Moore, the nation's ninth-best player in the 2025 recruiting cycle and top-rated wideout. His position versatility will come in handy for the Ducks with the loss of Stewart.
"Very explosive," Bryant said of Moore in April. "He's a young guy that came in here, already got the playbook down. Can play any position in the receiver room from X, Y, Z, A. Explosive receiver. Got good hands. Got good routes. Good size. I think the future's bright for him, for sure."
Oregon -- currently with the third-best odds to repeat as Big Ten champ in 2025 (+280), according to FanDuel Sportsbook -- hasn't announced its starting quarterback for 2025 just yet, either. Former UCLA transfer Dante Moore, who backed up Dillon Gabriel last season, is expected to get the nod over Austin Novosad, but Lanning would not reveal the Ducks' hand coming out of spring practice.
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