Dan Lanning Divulges How Evan Stewart, Gatlin Bair Have Acclimated To Injury Return

Being a college athlete is an experience with plenty of external factors impacting career longevity and path. Most often, an injury can sideline an athlete for an undetermined amount of time, but there's also eligibility issues, academics, transfer factors, and even life events intervening that could take an athlete away from the turf.

Going into the 2026 season, the Oregon Ducks football squad welcome back two headliner athletes who took some time away from their sport, and coach Dan Lanning stresses that the key to reintroducing athletes back into the rigorous schedule college football demands is routine.

Fighting Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart makes a catch during the Oregon Ducks annual spring game on April 25, 2026 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Return Of Gatlin Bair and Evan Stewart

In late April, the Ducks welcomed back senior wide receiver Evan Stewart for the spring game with the Oregon veteran sporting a green "no contact" jersey for precautionary reasons. Stewart, who hauled in a 75-yard touchdown pass during the scrimmage from Nebraska quarterback transfer Dylan Raiola, sat out the 2025 season due to a patellar tendon tear suffered in the offseason.

Though he didn't participate in the spring game, freshman receiver Gatlin Bair also brings some serious hype to the Ducks for the 2026 season after being away from the game for two years on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

For Lanning, bringing the formula of the spring game to practices with frequent scrimmages is one of the ways he's trying to ease Bair and Stewart back into football after their lengthy hiatuses. The Ducks coach spoke about it after Oregon's last fall camp scrimmage on Saturday.

"Yeah, making practice as much as possible like a game, right?" Lanning said. "Recreating this moment, so today was like that, we split into a Combat group, a Fighting Ducks group. We had teams, special teams operated as if it was a game. So a lot of that operation today was to help create that. So those guys have had a lot of snaps in practice and those have to qualify."

Nov 22, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart (7) celebrates during the game against the Southern California Trojans during the first half at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Returning From An Athlete's Perspective

During Oregon's media day, Stewart spoke to the shift he took away from football after his injury, which included seeing how much the world around him slowed down.

"I feel like I've been starved of football almost, if that makes sense, just because you know my last real snap was what Penn State Big Ten, so it was a minute ago. So for me, I've never honestly sat from a sport that long ever. I've never had an injury that recovered that long. So yeah, I'm hungry. I'm ready to play," Stewart said.

Being away from the demands of college football for an extended period of time can make a return to the sport a difficult task, especially reintroducing oneself to a gameday mentality.

The Duck rides into Autzen Stadium before the game against James Madison in Eugene Dec. 20, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Hype For Oregon Ducks' Returning Receivers

Both Stewart and Bair have plenty of hype surrounding the two, particularly on the speed both athletes bring to a receiver corps on the younger side.

Ducks receiver coach Ross Douglas has also stated both athletes are progressing throughout fall camp, describing Bair has "gotten better every single day," and Stewart has "been a really good leader for our guys in the room."

When it comes to Bair and Stewart getting fed targets, only time will tell if the scrimmage game simulations made a significant mark. With so many talented receivers helping out the Ducks this year including Dakorien Moore, Jeremiah McClellan, Iverson Hooks, and Messiah Hampton, there's plenty of hands looking for the ball. Perhaps, the returners will secure several targets throughout the season.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google