Oregon is getting a major piece of its passing game back, and Ross Douglas isn’t hiding how much he likes what he’s seen from Evan Stewart.
Douglas, entering his second season as the Ducks’ wide receivers coach, said Friday that Stewart has brought the right edge and the right voice since deciding to return in January after missing all of 2025 with a knee injury.
“Definitely seen it continue. It’s been like that ever since he decided to go come back since January.
He’s had a great attitude. Great mentality.
He’s been a really good leader for our guys in the room,” Douglas said. “It’s a pleasure to work with him everyday.”
Stewart is heading into his third season in Eugene after starting his college career at Texas A&M, where he played in 2022 and 2023 before entering the portal and transferring to Oregon. His first year with the Ducks in 2024 showed exactly why his return matters: 48 catches, 613 yards and five touchdowns.
The expectation was that he’d take another step in 2025, but a torn patellar tendon ended that season before it could even get started. Now he’s lined up to be ready for the 2026 opener against Boise State.
Oregon’s receiver room has plenty more to work with around him, too. Dakorien Moore, the Ducks’ highest-ranked recruit in the 2025 high school class, flashed right away as a true freshman with 34 receptions for 497 yards and three touchdowns. With that first year in the books, the belief is that he can grow into the offense’s top target.
Jeremiah McClellan is another name to keep front and center. He’s entering his third year at Oregon after posting 38 receptions for 557 yards and three touchdowns last season, the most receiving yards of any returning Duck.
And of course, all of it ties back to quarterback Dante Moore, who is set to deliver the football to this group in Week 1. This will be his third season in Eugene and his second as the starter. He started all 15 games in 2025, helped Oregon go 13-2 and reach the College Football Playoff semifinal, and threw for 3,565 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
That production earned Moore Third-team All-Big Ten recognition, and after the season there was real speculation that he might leave for the 2026 NFL Draft as a projected top five pick. Instead, he came back, giving Oregon’s offense - and especially its receivers - another season with a proven trigger man.
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