Evan Stewart shares update on rehab process following surgery

Evan Stewart‘s 2025 college football season potentially ended before it even began in June. Several weeks post-surgery, and the Oregon wide receiver is fully immersed in the rehab process.

Stewart let fans in one some of the work he’s been doing behind the scenes along his road to recovery from tearing his patellar tendon in June. He posted a reel to Instagram with the caption: I mean God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers, am I right?

The Oregon Ducks star also opened up about some of the mental struggles that come with this type of injury. Recovery from an injury like this could take anywhere from 3-12 months — potentially the entire season. There’s a chance that he could be back for the second-half of the season, but that remains to be seen.

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“Mentally, it’s just been long,” he said in the short clip. “It’s just a bunch of time occupied…”

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said that he wouldn’t put a timeline on his star wideout’s recovery when asked during Big Ten Media Days. He said he loves having Stewart as a part of the Ducks program and that he plays a huge role for Oregon’s offense when he’s on the field.

Stewart was gearing up for his senior season before the injury. So far, he’s only spent one of those with the Ducks. Despite this, he was a steady contributor for the Ducks in 2024 was 48 catches for 613 yards and five touchdowns.

He previously spent two years at Texas A&M before committing to Oregon ahead of the 2024 campaign. His most productive season came as a freshman in 2022 when he had 649 yards and two touchdowns, but he followed that up with 514 yards and four touchdowns in eight games as a sophomore.

While he’s put up modest numbers throughout his career, 2025 looked to be a breakout season for Stewart. With Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden both in the NFL, the expectation was Stewart would take a leap forward this year. The injury has halted those plans.

Now, he’ll have to watch from the sidelines as his team look to compete for another Big Ten Championship, and eventually a national championship as a part of the College Football Playoff for the second season in a row under Lanning’s guidance. Oregon will kick off the 2025 season against Montana State on Aug. 30.