Oregon Ducks receiver Evan Stewart arrived to Eugene this past offseason with the expectation that he’d be a championship-level difference maker for head coach Dan Lanning’s offense.
Even in a talented and experienced pass-catching corps, he’s proven capable of being exactly that, as the Texas A&M Aggies transfer is on pace to set career-high marks with still one game left in the regular season. If the Ducks can put together a lengthy postseason run, he’ll blow the numbers he had in College Station out of the water.
While Stewart has had his fair share of quiet games this season, arguably his most impressive stat is a testament to his steadiness as a target for quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
According to Pro Football Focus, Stewart leads the FBS in most targets (63) without a drop this season. His hands have never been in question — something he proved on the incredible 34-yard touchdown grab he had in the win over the Michigan Wolverines that was unfortunately called back due to a penalty — but he now has the numbers to back it up.
So far this season, Stewart has posted 47 catches for 609 yards and a career-best five touchdowns. He’s 41 yards away from passing the career-high mark (649) he set in 2022 during his freshman season at Texas A&M. His best performance this year came in the win over the Ohio State Buckeyes, as Stewart finished with seven catches for 149 yards and a touchdown.
He’s received some big-time praise as a result. After the win over the Purdue Boilermakers the following week, Lanning called Stewart “a weapon.”
“I think he keeps taking steps in the right direction,” Lanning said on Stewart. “He’s a weapon that we need to be able to utilize. You know, I think about us last season, and early in the season, Troy was a real threat for people. But later on in the season, as the season went on, you know, Tez became a real threat for opponents. And whenever you’re able to have multiple threats out there on the field, I think it becomes really hard to defend.”
Stewart and the Ducks will rest up over the bye week before hosting the Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 30.
