Former No. 1 WR Prospect Poised for 'Bounce-Back' College Football Season

A former No. 1 wide receiver recruit is set to have a "bounce-back" season in 2026.

Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart scores a touchdown as the Oregon Ducks host the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Eugene, Ore. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Roughly six and a half months separate the middle of February from the first weekend of the 2026 college football season.

Many programs that finished near the top of the college football world in 2025 are looking to prove they can take the next step forward in 2026. Few programs feel they have as much unfinished business from 2025 as Oregon.

For head coach Dan Lanning, the 2026 season is an opportunity for him to solidify himself as one of the best coaches in college football. For quarterback Dante Moore, 2026 is an opportunity to cement himself as the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the 2027 NFL draft. For wide receiver Evan Stewart, 2026 is his last chance to make an impression on NFL scouts.

The 6-foot, 170-pounder was the No. 1 wide receiver in the country when he committed to Texas A&M's historically strong 2022 signing class. In 10 games, Stewart led Texas A&M with 53 catches for 649 yards and a pair of touchdowns and went over 100 receiving yards in the Aggies' losses to Alabama and Florida. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2022.

Stewart caught passes in eight games for the Aggies in 2023. He finished the season with 38 receptions for 514 yards and four touchdowns, finishing with over 100 receiving yards in Texas A&M's first two games of the season. Head coach Jimbo Fisher was terminated in mid-November, and Stewart entered the NCAA transfer portal once the season ended.

Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver Evan Stewart (1) receives a touchdown pass from quarterback Conner Weigman (not pictured) | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Oregon landed Stewart from the portal in the 2024 offseason. He was the Ducks' third-most productive wide receiver behind Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden, finishing the year with 48 receptions for 613 yards and five touchdowns.

With Johnson and Holden out of the picture in 2025, Stewart was in a position to become the alpha among the Ducks' wide receivers entering his senior season. However, a torn patellar tendon before the season began sidelined him for its entirety.

2026 is Stewart's last chance to prove himself as a worthy NFL prospect. Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports compiled a list of 10 college football players who are poised for a bounce-back season in 2026 on Wednesday. Stewart was the eighth player to appear on Jeyarajah's list.

"Evan Stewart's apparent final season was derailed before it started when he suffered a torn patellar tendon that kept him out the entire 2025 season," Jeyarajah wrote. "With Dante Moore back for his senior season, Stewart should emerge as one of the top receivers in the sport."

Not only does Oregon bring back a future first-round draft choice in Moore, but Stewart will have a handful of weapons alongside him in the receiving corps. Both Jeremiah McClellan and Dakorien Moore will return for the 2026 season, and tight end Jamari Johnson is coming off a season in which he put up 510 receiving yards.

Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart (7), center, celebrates scoring a touchdown against Michigan | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images