Evan Stewart’s return has become one of the biggest unknowns hanging over Oregon’s 2026 season, but the latest word out of his camp points in a promising direction.
Stewart’s longtime trainer, Craig LeBlanc, says the Ducks receiver is moving with a burst he hasn’t seen in seven years of working together. After Stewart’s torn patellar tendon wiped out his 2025 season, the focus this offseason has been on getting him all the way back - and then some.
“He’s visibly faster,” Stewart’s trainer told Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus. “I didn’t have a GPS on him yesterday, but I’ve worked with him for seven years and I’ve never seen speed like he has right now. It’s explosive.”
That kind of language stands out because Stewart was already known for his speed before the injury. LeBlanc’s point is that the explosiveness appears to be back, and the work isn’t just about straight-line juice. He said the rehab has centered on rebuilding strength in Stewart’s injured right leg while making sure both sides of his body are balanced.
“His focus has been on strengthening his right leg and balancing his strength post-injury, which is crucial,” LeBlanc said. “After an injury like that, it’s important to get it back to strength, but also make sure the left and right are equally strong so there aren’t any imbalances that could lead to injury. I think he’s there.”
Stewart has also been busy away from Oregon’s facility. LeBlanc said he attended Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson’s wideout workshop, where he trained with Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith, Miami standout Malachi Toney and other receivers. The session was run by trainers from Gold Feet Global and Brandon White’s Receiver Factory, both groups with strong ties to NFL and college skill players.
“He is absolutely on a whole new level,” LeBlanc told Amaranthus. “He’s more dialed in than ever.
Stronger, faster than ever. He’s going to have a massive year.”
LeBlanc has also posted videos on X of Stewart working out at SMU in Dallas, Texas, and those clips show a player who looks like he has recaptured a key part of what made him elite in the first place.
Oregon football will open fall camp in early August, which should give everyone a better read on where Stewart really stands in his comeback. The Ducks could be lining up a dangerous group at receiver with Stewart, Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan.
Dan Lanning has already offered his own view of Stewart’s spring, and it matched the optimism coming from LeBlanc.
"This has been Evan's best spring since I've been here. I'm really excited about the growth.
I think when you have something that's not there for a while, and you don't get the opportunity to do it, you're really hungry when you come back. And I've seen the maturity from him.
I've seen him really level up in execution, be a guy that we can count on this spring," Lanning said.
Before the injury, Stewart made a real impact in his first season at Oregon in 2024 after transferring from Texas A&M. He finished second on the team with 48 catches for 613 yards and five touchdowns, caught at least one pass in 12 of 13 games, and had two 100-yard receiving games. He also kept producing chunk plays, with 23 receptions of 10-plus yards, seven gains of more than 20 yards and multiple catches of 60-plus yards.
His biggest night came against Ohio State in a top-three matchup, when he hauled in seven passes for a career-high 149 yards and a touchdown.
Stewart was injured in June of 2025 and missed the entire 2025 season. He now has one season of eligibility left, and Oregon has a clear reason to be encouraged if the speed and strength his trainer is seeing show up once the games begin.
If that carries over, the Ducks may have an electric veteran receiver ready to make an immediate impact in 2026.
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