Oregon
Oregon Receiver Evan Stewart Shocked That Ducks Are ‘More Physical’ Than SEC’s Texas A&M [EXCLUSIVE]
![Oregon Receiver Evan Stewart Shocked That Ducks Are ‘More Physical’ Than SEC’s Texas A&M [EXCLUSIVE]](https://i2.wp.com/images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5735,h_3225,x_580,y_42/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/ducks_digest/01jesx4dwgm9cy5tj9k1.jpg?ssl=1 "Oregon Receiver Evan Stewart Shocked That Ducks Are ‘More Physical’ Than SEC’s Texas A&M [EXCLUSIVE]")
Oregon Ducks wide receiver Evan Stewart is undoubtedly acrobatic with a unique perspective as a transfer and a top Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) player in college football.
Oregon Ducks on SI talked with Stewart about his newest NIL partnership, his emotions after winning the Big Ten Conference Championship, how Oregon compares to Texas A&M and the SEC, his NFL Draft goals and addressed how the Ducks can win the Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff.
The experience watching the championship confetti fall after beating the Penn State Nittany Lions in a thrilling 45-37 victory in the Big Ten Conference championship was unlike anything that the star wide receiver has ever experienced in his life. Stewart mentioned that he has never won anything before at that magnitude.
“I was kind of twisted between feelings because I’ve never won before. I was like where’s the confetti? And really, I was just standing there soaking in the moment. I was thinking about the fact that that wasn’t the last game. It was a quick celebration and as coach Lanning says, we’re trying to celebrate afterwards for three to four days.”
– Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart
Texas A&M at College Station and the University of Oregon in Eugene couldn’t be more two completely different places. When asked about what the biggest difference in culture between the schools is, Stewart pointed out that the physicality of Oregon is more intense than the SEC’s Texas A&M.
“For the football side of things, A&M is SEC ball. Like South ball. Out here, with it being a West Coast vibe, a lot of stuff is more laid back but they both got a common factor of physicality. Coming out here to Oregon, things are way more physical than what they were at A&M during my time there. And that was a big shock.”
– Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart
“As for the living situation, it’s College Station. You’re right down the street from Houston. You don’t go to Dallas too far, Austin. You got Northgate. It’s a bunch of community and opportunities to meet new people. Out here in Oregon, not too much to do. You go win a game, you go home, you’re happy about it. Things are much more relaxed.”
– Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart
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Stewart recently signed an NIL deal with Mountain Dew and 7-Eleven to promote their Blue Shock Slurpee. In celebration of the nostalgic flavor, Stewart along with five other college football athletes formed the “Mountain Dew Blue Shock Slurpee Squad” to drive excitement around tailgating and gameday this college and professional football season.
Stewart mentioned that he’s a true Mountain Dew Blue Shock Slurpee fan and has been frequenting 7-Eleven throughout the season. He will continue to do so during the holidays while the drink is still available. When asked what the craziest thing that he’s spent his NIL money on, he brought up his new car.
“I haven’t been spending much. A lot of saving for me but I’d probably say my car. One of my cars got stolen while I was at Texas A&M so I had to go buy a new one. It’s an AMG GLE 63S Mercedes which was my dream car growing up.”
– Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart
Oregon coach Dan Lanning has a lot of talent across the offensive board but Stewart’s speed, especially right off the snap, plus his ability at the wideout position to catch 50/50 balls is special. Despite the plethora of different offensive threats that the Ducks possess, he continues to find ways to make himself stand out.
“As you said, our team is pretty good. It’s not like you just need that one person to keep making this play or this one person to make that play. Everybody is either going to have their days or somebody new is going to have their days. I’m just playing my role.”
– Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart
In his junior campaign, Stewart has totaled 613 passing yards and caught five touchdowns on 48 receptions. He gives a ton of credit for his success with the work that was put in during the offseason.
“My hands weren’t as assured at A&M, if that makes sense. I had a couple of dropped passes in the past couple of seasons, balls I shouldn’t have dropped. That was definitely one of the things I keyed in on this offseason. My hands, my hand-eye coordination, the placement of how I catch the ball and secure it. Seeing it all the way to the tuck. We’re seeing the difference this season.”
– Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart
Stewart has dreams of playing the NFL in the future and knows he’s not perfect. If a scout were to ask him what one part of his game that needs to improve upon in order to succeed at the next level, Stewart would say that he needs to continue to get stronger and live in the weight room.
“I would say my strength. I’m talking on multiple levels. Like with the run game since coaches like people that can block. In the NFL, everybody’s not the same size. You got Fred Warner’s walking around. Defensive backs get bigger too. You got the Jalen Ramsey’s. Just being stronger in the play style, with running routes, breaking tackles.”
– Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart
Stewart and the Ducks now await the winner of the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers vs. the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes which will take place in Columbus on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 5. p.m. PT. The Rose Bowl Game is set for Wednesday, Jan. 1st at 2 p.m. PT.
Stewart addressed what it’s going to take to continue Oregon’s winning ways throughout the College Football Playoff.
“Everybody’s best. Especially with a bunch of transfers and a bunch of seniors. A lot of people haven’t been this far. Everybody is about to take their first steps in the water that is the College Football Playoff. As long as we have the same mindset just like we did going into every week this season, then we’re gonna give our best 60 minutes of football every single game.”
– Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart
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The Oregon Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a Lane County man who once photographed child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey and was convicted in 2021 on several child pornography charges.
Randall DeWitt Simons, 73, of Oakridge, was charged in 2019 with 15 counts of first-degree encouraging child sex abuse. He was later convicted on every count and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Simons was first arrested after authorities began investigating a report from a restaurant in Oakridge that someone had been using the restaurant’s Wi-Fi to download inappropriate and concerning images.
Law enforcement officers directed the business to track, log, and report all of the user’s internet activity to the investigating officer for more than a year, without a warrant.
Police tracked the computer’s IP address from the restaurant’s Wi-Fi system, which led officers to a man who lived near the restaurant and had given Simons a computer, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Lane County Circuit Court. Investigators obtained a warrant to search the laptop in Simon’s home, relying on information they had collected over time. He was subsequently arrested.
On March 26, the court ruled warrantless internet surveillance on public Wi-Fi violates privacy.
In an opinion written by Justice Bronson D. James, the court held that the Oregon Constitution recognizes people have a right to privacy in their internet browsing activities and the right is not extinguished when they use a publicly accessible wireless network. It’s even true in cases where that access is conditioned on a person accepting a terms-of-service agreement that says a provider may monitor activity and cooperate with law enforcement, James wrote.
During criminal proceedings in the Lane County Circuit Court, Simons moved to controvert the warrant and suppress the evidence obtained by police, arguing the business was a “state actor for purposes of Article I, section 9, and that its year-long warrantless surveillance was an unconstitutional, warrantless search attributable to the state,” the Supreme Court opinion said.
The Circuit Court denied Simon’s motion. The Oregon Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s decision in part and stated Simons had no cognizable privacy interest in his internet activities performed on a third-party network.
The Oregon Supreme Court rejected the state’s argument.
“The mere fact that a person accesses the internet through a public network does not eliminate their Article I, section 9, right to privacy in their online activities,” according to James. “Even when access is expressly conditioned on a user’s acceptance of terms-of-service provisions purporting to alert the user that the provider may monitor activity and cooperate with law enforcement.”
Justice K. Bushong suggested in a partial dissent the Court should reconsider its approach in a future case to what constitutes a “search” under the Oregon Constitution. The court’s decision reverses the Court of Appeals and sends the case back to the Lane County Circuit Court for further proceedings.
Simons has maintained his innocence since he was arrested in 2019.
Simons had been a photographer for 6-year-old Colorado beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey a few months before her still-unsolved 1996 murder, the Associated Press reported in 1998.
In October 1998, Simons was arrested on a charge of indecent exposure in Lincoln County, Colorado. According to the book “Perfect Murder, Perfect Town” by Lawrence Schiller, Simons was arrested in 1998 for allegedly walking nude down a residential street in the small town of Genoa, Colorado. Simons allegedly offered to the arresting deputy unprovoked, “I didn’t kill JonBenét.”
Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com.
Umatilla, Morrow counties establish Young Republicans of Oregon chapter
Published 8:00 pm Wednesday, March 25, 2026
IRRIGON — Young Republicans living in Umatilla and Morrow counties now can join a local chapter of the statewide Young Republicans of Oregon organization.
The Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans will advance Republican values and leadership in young residents through political training, networking opportunities and connection to Republican leaders. The group is focused on young adults, generally attracting college-aged people, though it includes people aged 18 to 40.
The five Young Republicans of Oregon members living in Umatilla and Morrow counties elected three officers to lead their new chapter. Irrigon’s Evan Purves was elected chair, with Connor Roberts of Hermiston as his vice chair and Kaelyn Moore of Milton-Freewater serving as secretary.
“I am super grateful for this opportunity to lead my neighbors,” Purves said. “It’s going to be really fun. We have some good events planned.”
Purves, 19, is a student at Blue Mountain Community College who eventually hopes to pursue a four-year degree in public administration. He initially became interested in the Young Republicans during an internship with Oregon state Rep. Greg Smith, of Heppner. He said it was an experience that showed him how the legislature works.
The internship also inspired him to step into a leadership role with the Young Republicans and help establish a local chapter of the organization. The newest chapter of the Young Republicans of Oregon, which was announced Monday, March 23, has been in the works since November 2025.
The Young Republicans of Oregon State Chair, Tanner Elliott, said the new chapter — the fourth chapter statewide — indicates momentum for conservative values.
“In less than a year, we’ve continued expanding because young conservatives are stepping up and getting involved in their communities,” Elliott said. “I want to congratulate the chapter’s leadership team on their election and especially commend their new chair Evan Purves for taking on this role. I’m confident this group will make a meaningful impact in Eastern Oregon and help drive our organization forward.”
Future plans in Umatilla, Morrow counties
The leadership team of UMYR already is making efforts to effect change.
In early May, Purves said, Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans will host a door knocking campaign in support of Smith’s reelection campaign. There also will be an official kickoff event the same weekend celebrating the new chapter and outlining priorities for the future.
“If there’s anything that we might struggle with is membership,” he said. “The recruiting part is us going out there and hosting events and socials, having opportunities for people to come out and do something fun that anybody’s invited to.”
Regarding other priorities, voter engagement is important to Purves,
“Even though we live in a big conservative area, there’s not a lot of politically engaged people, especially in my generation,” he said. “We want to get them involved.”
He said one of his concerns is businesses leaving the state due to policies that aren’t friendly to corporations, a common issue raised by Republican lawmakers. The decisions being made impact every community, he said, and he wants to have a say in what the leaders are doing.
“These bills affect all of us,” he said. “It’s just important to get people involved and get people to vote and be a part of it.”
People interested in updates on the efforts of the Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans can follow the group on Facebook or Instagram or become a member at yro.gop.
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