Oregon football's excellent season clearly didn't have the storybook ending that many fans wanted, after falling 41-21 to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. But one of their star players will be back in the green and yellow for his senior campaign. Wide receiver Evan Stewart will be returning for one more year, despite drawing significant interest from teams in the 2025 NFL Draft.

“He’s a dynamic player. He’s been great for us all year,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said, via Grant Grubbs of On3 Sports. “He kind of got tweaked in pregame and had been able to practice but had been somewhat limited. But we thought he was going to be a potential go.

“You know, leaned on the side of protecting the player, in that situation. I think if you asked Evan, he wanted to be out there on the field, but you don’t want to put him in a situation that’s not going to be safe for him.”

Stewart finished the 2024-25  campaign with 48 receptions for 613 yards and five touchdowns, and he was one of the main offensive weapons that led to the Ducks' undefeated regular season.

An impactful return for Oregon football

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As Dillon Gabriel makes his way to the NFL after a Heisman-worthy final college season, it could be last year's sophomore backup Dante Moore who will be throwing Stewart passes next season.

Stewart provides the continuity that the Ducks are going to need moving forward. The offense is losing two fellow primary offensive stars in wide receivers Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden, but Stewart has a real chance to step in and produce some of the best pass-catching numbers in the No. 1 role.

Oregon football should have one of the top offenses in the country once again in 2025.