Evan Stewart’s bond with Dante Moore sparked return to Oregon Ducks

On January 14, Oregon Duck fans celebrated when quarterback Dante Moore announced that he would turn down a likely first-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft and return to Eugene for one more season. A day later, Duck fans again celebrated as veteran wide receiver Evan Stewart announced that he, too, would return to Eugene for another year.

It may not have been clear at the time, but those two announcements were intrinsically connected.

You see, without Moore's return to Oregon for one final season, it's unclear whether or not Stewart would have come back as well. As a player with one year of eligibility remaining and, as he says, a "do or die" attitude, Stewart needed to make sure he was playing alongside an elite QB as he looks to make a statement to NFL scouts in this final opportunity.

So, as long as Moore was back, Stewart knew he would be there as well.

“It was a very big factor, honestly, because Dante is a very good quarterback," Stewart said on Saturday after the Ducks' first spring scrimmage of the year. "In my eyes, I'm waiting for him to make a decision, because, like, 'I think we could do it if you come back.'"

While Stewart and Moore don't have any pass connections in live games during their Oregon career, the relationship between the two goes back several years. Stewart says he was well aware of Moore during high school as a fellow 5-star, though the two were in different classes. They finally connected in Eugene, both transferring to Oregon during the same offseason, and quickly bonded as they worked to learn the offense together.

Though Dillon Gabriel was the starter, it was often Moore and Stewart who found each other on the practice field.

"The way that he was throwing me the ball in practice, I've never really gotten used in that type of way, like from a quarterback perspective," Stewart said of his early experience with Moore. “Dante is very mobile. He can keep his eyes down the field and see his defenders for scramble drills and stuff like that. And so, you know, having a quarterback that can keep the play alive and can make all types of throws over the field, especially with me being a speedster, me getting down the field quick, and he can lob it on my hat and run over. Like, that's nice too."

While the relationship started on the field, it quickly grew into more. Stewart says that the two hang out often, whether it's going to breakfast together or finding time for worship at church. It's not rare for quarterbacks and wide receivers to be close, but Stewart learned during his injury last year how much his teammate cares about him.

The injury, a torn patellar tendon, occurred during an offseason routes session in which Stewart and Moore were going through 1-on-1 drills. After taking what he felt like was just a "bad turn," Stewart went down, and when he couldn't put any weight on his leg, he went to the trainers. He was later told the news and admitted he needed to sleep on it for a couple of days before accepting it.

His quarterback, though, was brought to tears by the injury, convinced he played a part in it.

"They told him the news, and after, I looked over and seen him crying, because basically he was kind of like, thinking it was his fault. He was saying he should have put the ball further; it could have been a better ball," Stewart said. "Like, the fact that you shed a tear, that really means a lot to me."

Now healthy, Stewart is ready to get on the field for real with Moore and show the world what he's capable of with one of the top QBs in the nation airing it out in his direction. While their first connection this fall will technically go down as the first of their career together, make no mistake, there's a long history and deep friendship between these two.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dante Moore played key role in Evan Stewart’s Oregon Ducks return