Evan Stewart has 'do or die' mentality going into final year at Oregon

Coming out of high school, Evan Stewart was labeled a star.

He was a 5-star prospect, the No. 6-ranked player in the 2022 class, with expectations that he would not only have an electric college football career but also a long and productive NFL career to follow.

After a decent two years with the Texas A&M Aggies, Stewart transferred to Oregon, where he was set to reach his ceiling with the Ducks. In 2024, Stewart had the best year of his career, but a knee injury in the spring of 2025 delayed and potentially derailed that NFL dream.

Now, back on the field after rehabbing a torn patellar tendon, Stewart knows that he doesn't have time to wait around any longer. If he's going to reach his ceiling, it has to be now.

“Honestly, it's do or die for me," Stewart said after the Ducks' first spring scrimmage on Saturday. "Looking at my life right now, it really is do or die for me. So I'm trying to do everything in my power to make sure that I can be the best football player I can be for the Oregon Ducks, and for myself. Honestly, just because I feel like I really owe it to myself to really prove to myself that I can do what I do.”

The Ducks are hoping that Stewart can do just that this year, bringing yet another elite playmaker to the wide receiver room that already includes Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan. So far this spring, head coach Dan Lanning has seen Stewart start to find his old groove once again and become that veteran in the room full of young talent.

"He's getting more fluid every single day," Lanning said. "I think he's a smart player. We've been able to move him around. He's played a lot of positions here, you know, for us, and that's showing up this spring, whether it's in the slot or an X or Z. So that versatility has been really good to see. ... But he's been the player we hoped he would be."

Oregon WR coach Ross Douglas has also seen Stewart operate with a bit more energy and "desperation," as he called it on Saturday. With NFL scouts having kept tabs on him since his high school days, it's no secret that he's running out of time to prove that he can live up to his potential.

"He's been practicing at a little bit different clip," Douglas said on Saturday. "Alignment versatility, being able to know every single spot in our playbook so we can line him up and put him in different situations so the NFL could evaluate his skill set, and so you can put certain things on tape. But I think he's attacked it great. He's been great in winter conditioning. He's been great at practice. He's been a good veteran leader in the room."

There will be a lot of attention on Stewart this year as the Ducks look to make a run back to the College Football Playoff, and the former 5-star works to be a big contributor in that run. The attention is nothing new for Stewart, though; it's something he has dealt with his entire career.

He knows what the expectations are, and now he wants to live up to them before he runs out of time.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks WR Evan Stewart brings 'do or die' mentality into 2026