Evan Stewart’s nine-month comeback from a devastating knee injury was supposed to be a triumphant return, but Oregon’s new OC quickly delivered a harsh reality check. The former projected WR1 returned to Oregon Ducks football spring practice after getting the green light from the doctors. But Drew Mehringer delivered not-so-assuring news about Evan Stewart’s place as a top choice on the team.

“Stewie looks good. This is the hardest I think I’ve ever seen Stewie work,” the Oregon OC said, praising Stewart before dropping the reality check. “I think it’s not a secret he can run, but there’s a lot of guys who can run who don’t make it in the NFL.”

“That’s ultimately his dream, and that’s everybody that’s in that locker room over there’s dream. What’s the difference-maker for him? For him, I think it’s going to be that change in his approach. I think we’re seeing that, and it’s pretty cool to watch,” Mehringer added.

Stewart was actually projected to be WR1 heading into the 2025 season after racking up 613 yards and five touchdowns while being WR4 in the 2024 season. But the football gods had other plans during last year’s spring. While Evan Stewart was stuck in the training room doing rehab, the rest of the world didn’t exactly hit the pause button. Stewart skipped the 2025 NFL Draft to solidify his stock, but a patellar tendon tear sidelined him.

The veteran now faces the brutal truth about his seniority, which may not hold much value if he cannot outpace the rising stars who performed well in his absence. The biggest threat to Stewart’s targets is the freakishly fast freshman, Gatlin Bair. We’re talking about a guy who clocked a 10.15-second 100-meter dash. The OC Mehringer knows what he has in his arsenal.

“Gatlin’s really fast. Like, that’s not a secret. He’s got the track times to prove it. I think that, you know, there’s definitely some rust that has to get knocked off for him…But does he show a lot of very exciting things? Yeah. I mean, he didn’t forget how to run, you know? He can definitely do that.” OC said. Gatlin’s got size. He’s got speed. [Gatlin’s] got really great work ethic. He’s tough. He’s strong. So, there’s some very exciting things that we see from Gatlin.”

The former five-star finally arrived on Oregon’s campus after finishing his two-year church mission. Even though with an ounce of rust, he looks like he hasn’t missed a beat. He’s arguably faster than Stewart was even before the injury.

Since Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks offense love to thrive on vertical threats and stretching the field (their bread and butter), Bair’s speed might be a bit too much for a veteran like Stewart, who is still trying to trust his surgically repaired knee.

Regardless, Mehringer still has faith in Oregon veteran to overcome his circumstances: “I think we’re seeing some of that (conditioning) from Stewie, and if he continues that down the road, I’m excited to see what he does this year.”

However, the competition doesn’t stop with Bair, unfortunately. Dan Lanning built his roster to survive without relying on any single star, and that ruthless standard continued with Mehringer getting promoted to offensive coordinator. If Stewart fails to prove that his repaired knee can handle elite speed, he will simply have to watch the 2026 season from the sidelines.

Competition everywhere for the Oregon veteran

The Oregon Ducks’ WR room is arguably the most talented in the entire Big Ten for 2026, stacked with only 5-star prospects, although Ohio State might have better (only if Chris Henry Jr. outperforms his expectations). There’s a former No. 1 WR in the country in Dakorien Moore, who, after almost 500 yards last year as a true freshman, may not be looking to give up his targets to anyone.

Jalen Lott is another five-star phenom who just arrived and is already turning heads in spring ball. Then there’s Jeremiah McClellan and UAB transfer Iverson Hooks, who completed around a thousand yards last season. With this much elite talent crammed into one room, there simply aren’t enough footballs to go around. Mehringer has the tough job of figuring out who stays on the field and who rides the pine.

However, there’s one way where both Bair and Stewart can be on the field at the same time. The Ducks could do their  “11 personnel” (three wide receivers on the field at once). If Evan lines up primarily in the slot instead of outside (X) and Bair comes in as the Z receiver (right outside but slightly off the line), it would give them room to cook in one-on-one matchups. Regardless, this is going to be an interesting case.