Why history is working against Evan Stewart to become a Year 1 star for Texas A&M
I hope Evan Stewart proves me wrong.
I’d love to see a scenario in which he comes the 2022 version of Amari Cooper and he makes highlight reel catches galore for a fun, explosive A&M offense. As we saw last year with Brock Bowers, watching a true freshman pass-catcher become a prolific force for a contending team is a sight to see. When a Jaylen Waddle steps onto the scene and makes plays from the jump, it’s hard not to get fired up for what their career could become.
Aggie fans have every right to be fired up about Stewart, and not just because he’s a former 5-star recruit. The coaching staff seems all sorts of giddy about the early enrollee after he passed the eye test in spring.
Jimbo Fisher on Evan Stewart: “A tremendous athlete and tremendous human being. He works. He gets coached. His ability to be coached and high character is what has impressed me the most.”
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) April 5, 2022
I don’t think Fisher is just telling fans what they want to hear with a statement like that. I believe him.
But I also believe that history is working against Stewart in Year 1 in Fisher’s offense.
Any conversation about a true freshman receiver’s chances of becoming an immediate star in the SEC should be prefaced with some historical context. None of these pass-catchers hit 500 receiving yards as true freshmen:
- Ja’Marr Chase, LSU
- Justin Jefferson, LSU
- DeVonta Smith, Alabama
- Jerry Jeudy, Alabama
- Terrace Marshall, LSU
- Treylon Burks, Arkansas*
- Kyle Pitts, Florida
*Played in a Chad Morris offense
That’s a pretty good list, no? Some guys were more decorated than others as recruits. It’s easy to forget that before Jefferson became a college/NFL superstar, he was the last scholarship offered in LSU’s 2017 class and he wore No. 32 as a true freshman. That’s different than someone like Jeudy, who came to Alabama as a 5-star recruit with a path to immediate playing time.
That’s similar to the situation Stewart figures to have. Demond Demas and Caleb Chapman both hit the transfer portal this offseason. Add in the NFL departures of pass-catching options Jalen Wydermyer and Isaiah Spiller and there figures to be a bevy of targets up for grabs.
It was Demas who came into Fisher’s offense as the twitchy, explosive 5-star receiver in 2020. Early on, Fisher made it seem like it was only a matter of time before he’d see the field and become a fixture of the offense:
Fisher on why Demond Demas didn’t get any snaps: “We just had some other guys in there. He’s been practicing really well and we’ll get him involved … he and Moose both.”
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) September 27, 2020
What did Demas do as a true freshman? He played in 2 games and he didn’t record a catch … much to the frustration of the A&M faithful. Of course, it’s easy to lose track of that when you record your best AP Top 25 finish in 81 years like the Aggies did in 2020.
Obviously that doesn’t mean Stewart is going to follow in Demas’ footsteps. I wouldn’t bet on that happening.
But would I bet on Stewart doing what those aforementioned SEC stars couldn’t do and record a 600-yard season in 2022? Nope. No true freshman pass-catcher has ever hit that mark in Fisher’s offense since he became a head coach.
I went back and found the 5 most prolific seasons for true freshmen pass-catchers in Fisher’s offenses at Florida State and A&M:
- Florida State WR Rashad Greene (2011), 38 catches for 596 yards
- Florida State WR Travis Rudolph (2014), 38 catches for 555 yards
- Texas A&M TE Jalen Wydermyer (2019), 32 catches for 447 yards
- Florida State WR Ermon Lane (2014), 13 catches for 267 yards
- Texas A&M WR Ainias Smith (2018), 22 catches for 248 yards
To recap, it’s been 8 years since a true freshman receiver in Fisher’s offense had more than 300 receiving yards. In fact, only 2 true freshmen receivers in Fisher’s offense hit that mark. Since Fisher arrived at A&M, Smith posted the best season for a true freshman receiver, and he had 22 catches for 248 yards.
Even when Fisher got highly touted guys like Kelvin Benjamin or Christian Green at Florida State, he redshirted them. Barring an injury, Stewart isn’t redshirting. Alongside Smith, Jalen Preston and Moose Muhammad III, it’d be a shock to see him benched like Demas was as a true freshman. But at the same time, those impact moments probably won’t be a weekly occurrence.
Everything Stewart does will be magnified, and not just because he’s got over 2 million followers on TikTok. There’s a reason why him running a route at less than full speed against air has nearly 10,000 views:
Texas A&M freshman WR Evan Stewart running warm up routes prior to the spring game: pic.twitter.com/myxxXXHRNN
— . (@Travis_L_Brown) April 9, 2022
When Stewart actually did make a catch against a real defender — albeit in a scrimmage — that video got over 46,000 views:
Texas A&M 5 star true freshman WR [Evan Stewart] going up and making the impressive catch.
Stewart should make an immediate contribution this upcoming season for the Aggies. pic.twitter.com/FATr8lQtCR
— CFBLIVE247 (@CFBLive247_) April 9, 2022
Will Stewart flash some ability to get separation against SEC corners? That’s likely. He ran a 10.58-second 100-meter dash as a junior in high school. That’s not quite Devon Achane speed, but that’s moving.
Stewart is going into 2022 with major expectations. Most 5-star skill-players do.
It’s just worth remembering that any projection for his total production should have the “yeah, but” about Fisher’s offense attached to it. As in, yeah, Stewart has all the makings of a future star, but any expectation that he’s going to flirt with a 1,000-yard season would be completely ignoring Fisher’s history.
For the sake of my entertainment, I hope Stewart becomes a technician as a route-runner and he does his best Waddle imitation as a true freshman. It’d be a welcome sight to have someone break the mold and become the first real standout of A&M’s historic 2022 class.
But I’ll take the conservative approach to Stewart’s projection and instead hope that he proves me wrong.
Photo credit: Matthew Loves Ball on YouTube
Another don’t expect too much from TAMU article cause they are so young. We get it Connor.
Sorry, your comments don’t count for much since you bailed on the last article after you realized you were completely wrong about the recruiting cycles. Grown men stick around and own their mistakes, not run and find somewhere else to troll.
Like I said in my last post there. I never said UGA and Bama didn’t have great rosters. We all know that the top 5 every year is UGA, Bama, Ohio State and two other teams. I still think Jimbo is on the hotseat if they go 8-4 again. I just point out that the same journalists who write the “Mullen must win in year 3 stuff” write this stuff:
“TAMU shouldn’t be expected to win even though they had the best recruiting class in year 5 and have been in the top 6 in 3 of the other 4 years at TAMU”.
My bad…top 8 not top 6. See owned my mistake.
The difference between Mullen and Jimbo is that Mullen was all “on the field” coaching and nothing more. If you’re recruiting at a high level, success on the field will come in the same way it did at UGA. In Kirby’s words, “you can’t outcoach talent”. Jimbo’s making progress in recruiting and he’s shown he can coach up talented players, so we’re all confident that on field success will come at some point.
No, your argument was that A&M out-recruited LSU over the last 4 cycles. When we showed you how wrong you were on that point you just disappeared.
I don’t think I ever used the word “LSU” in my post. Pretty sure it was all about UGA and Bama.
Sorry, different gator. You were arguing that A&M’s roster based on last 5 years of recruiting should be enough to catch Bama and UGA. When someone pointed out those schools had stronger recruiting over those same years you responded by claiming you never said anything about UGA and Bama’s rosters. It’s pretty relevant, no matter how you slice it. This year isn’t the hotseat year for Fisher. You’ve been reading too many internet articles by wannabe writers. Nobody in College Station is calling for a playoff run this year, we all know the best shot will come in 2023-2024 depending on attrition and how Fisher handles the portal.
I responded that I never said anything about UGA or Bama rosters cause you don’t need to (everyone knows the top 5 is UGA, Bama and Ohio State and two other schools). At the end of the day, I don’t really care about TAMU. I was more pointing out how sports writers use arbitrary logic and narrative creation as the reason why one coach is on the hotseat and another is not. To say Mullen should have been on the hot seat in year 3 while Jimbo should not be in year 5 was arbitrary at best. That was the entire point of my post to begin with.
You literally used A&M’s roster as your argument, then tried to backtrack when you realized the error in your decision after Bama’s and UGA’s were brought up. But okay…
And you act like TAMU’s roster is Arizona State’s and that no one at TAMU wants to win. Try telling to Sumlin.
?? I never said anything remotely close to that. TAMU has recruited very well and is poised to make a run. The fact remains that you don’t get on the hot seat for not winning a Natty after a few good recruiting years, you get it for not showing movement towards that goal. Jimbo is doing that.
I never said Jimbo is on the hottest now; I said if they don’t compete for SECCG or CFP after this year. In other words…another 8-4 season will start some griping. I’m not backing down from my statement…I think it is true. Will all fans clamor for a change if they go 8-4? No. But some will. When the chirping starts and the “fireheadcoach.com” websites show up the inertia of the situation will take on a life of its own.
While I agree he may not be the #1 WR in year one, comparing him to Demas is pretty ridiculous. Reasons for Demas not being a year 1 starter had nothing to do with his skillset and everything to do with his mindset. Evans is leagues beyond where Demas was at this point in this offense. I expect Evans to see considerably more playing time than Demas, starter or not.
The difference is those guys on the list had great receivers ahead of them. The Aggies don’t have anyone that stands out right now.
Who is going to throw Him the ball? And I don’t mean that ugly I just wondered if they picked a QB
They’re not likely to announce until well into Fall camp. Hard to say who that’ll be. Even Aggie faithful really have no idea. My money’s on Haynes King, but with an OL improved over last year, Max Johnson could be a safe choice depending on how he picks up the offense. Weigman is the future, but as a freshman, he’s unlikely to start.
I’d have to agree. I think Johnson gets the nod going into the season with both other QB’s suited up, Haynes being the #2. Weigman will be there up to the point his redshirt is risked just as a safety net in case we have another season start like 2021.
I don’t think Fisher is worried about a redshirt for Weigman. He will be going high in the MLB draft. Three calendar years and he is gone, redshirt or not.
I hope Johnson is not the winner. Too often he holds onto the ball far too long and does not read the rush well. Too many sacks.
I will not rule out Weigman or Haynes.
Good points. I still think Johnson has the edge currently at starting off the season as the more secure option but unless they were able to fix his issues in Spring camp I see either King or Weigman taking the reins early in the season.
LSU had a horrible offensive line last year. Only guy on the roster that has produced.
Also, Weigman has come out and said already he wants to play QB for A&M. Redshirt is not out of the question.
Yep. I would think Max as well.
Meh… Haynes King starts and Stewart gets 600+ yards regardless of the QB.
Who is going to be LSU’s qb?
Of course you meant it ugly. Because any college football fan understands the concept of a Fall Camp QB battle. Unless you are truly that dumb.
Getting 500 receiving yds would place him in the range of the #25-30 WR in the SEC. That’s within his reach this year. I don’t hear people talking about the other composite 5 star freshman WR Chris Marshall. Stewart is crazy athletic and should be an exceptional WR, but don’t discount Marshall. I’ve watched him play a good bit. He plays very mature, and he doesn’t drop passes.
Ainias came back this year to improve his draft stock (wise choice) and I expect him to be targeted a fair amount. Moose has the right mindset and could get a lot of playing time.
I think there’s a good bit of room for Stewart and Marshall this year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see either of them get 500 receiving yds.
Yeah people still seem to sleep on Marshall. I’m actually more excited to watch him than I am with Evan.
Marshall should be a great one. I can see Marshall on one side and Stewart on the other.
“As we saw last year with Brock Bowers…”
It was about mid-November before SDS writers realized Bowers wasn’t just filling-in until Darnell Washington returned.
Not sure about that. I was introduced to Bowers by O’Gara on his podcast early in the season telling me how Bowers is “not a human being”.
Some good points added here that debunks this article. Especially about how those players on the list had great veteran receivers. Unfortunately, A&M’s not in the same situation. Most of our veterans just suck.
Also, Connor goes about those receivers and then suddenly goes off the rail in bringing up Demas. You actually think Demas and Stewart are at the same level in terms of skill set? And I’ve never seen Jimbo talk highly of a Demas’s work ethic, skill and character at the this point of time. Just terrible comparison all around.
“Most of our veterans just suck”. Really?!? C’mon man, if we get consistent QB play, you will see MUCH better WR production even from our veterans.
Right. Muhammad seems solid. He seems to have picked up a good bit from his dad. Ainias Smith is among the best you’ll ever find in the slot. I’m willing to give anyone a mulligan year for having trouble catching off-target bullet passes for a year. Calzada will forever live in Aggie lore as the tough-as-nails QB who took down Bama. But the rest of the year wasn’t quite what you’d hope for.
With Chapman out due to injuries, we lacked a deep threat on the outside. Hez and Lane are great, reliable possession receivers with good hands. However to date they have not often posed a deep threat. And both missed most or all of 2021 due to injuries.
Preston will have to do far better at holding onto the ball than he did in the spring game. He does not seem to show the speed of Stewart.
Moose seems destined for playing the slot behind Smith.
Brown could well be a threat, but we will have to see where Fisher places him.
Hez and Land missed most of 2021 but based on 2019 and 2020, they were alright. Not enough to provide offensive threat. Nowhere near Chapman’s level.
Moose still seems inconsistent but he lacks experience so getting him out there more may help him get better.
Preston is a beat after catch but good lord he cannot catch a football.
Brown has a small catch radius but like Preston can make plays with the ball in his hands.
We’ve never had a player that can create separation, win a man to man, catch the ball, and be able to run once the ball is in the player’s hands. I don’t know if this is a developmental issue or just severe lack of talent in the players but whatever the reason, the lack of productivity in WRs is one of our key issues to this date. But I am hopefull Evan, Chris, and Noah along with future ’23 WRs we’re about to recruit will fix that.
Hey Jimbo said it himself. There are plays he couldn’t run because he just didn’t have the guys that can.
Alright. I’ll correct it to “serviceable”. Our receiving corps is still horrendous though compared to the recruiting and the amount we’re paying the receiver coach. Since Jimbo got here, name a single great receiver we had relied on.
Hez hasn’t shown much. Lane is very bad at creating separation. Moose has shown his moments more than the aforementioned two, but is still inconsistent.
Chapman is the only guy I can say was reliable except that was based only on a single game.
Ainias is the only overall injury free & pretty reliable receiver we have.
Hez and Lane have been reliable possession receivers. Hez has fearlessly gone across the middle, taken vicious hits and held onto the ball on a number of occasions. There is a place for a possession receiver. They are good within their roles.
What we have lacked, except for the short periods when Chapman was healthy, was a wideout who could break the big one. We lacked the vertical threat.
Moose has been inconsistent, but even consistent I am not sure he will be a strong vertical threat either.
We need Marshall, Stewart and Thomas to step up quickly and provide that threat.
Chase Lane and Jalen Preston are not very good.
No they’re not. And if Chase Lane is the starter at Z which is where he was practicing in spring, I’m going to lose it.
Comparison to Demas are irrelevant and incorrect. Demas had sat out a year in high school ball before coming to A&M.
With Chapman and Demas departing, Stewart will likely be a starter. This will be in his favor.
Fisher’s offensive schemes could hold him back.
I am truly hoping that whomever wins the quarterback battle will be capable of going deep with some accuracy. If so, Stewart and Marshall could well play a large role in the offense.
Right now college football is in a “dead perioed”, right? There is really nothing for sports writers to write about concerning college football until around the 1st of August when fall football practice starts. Nothing going on. So during this “dead period” everyone who follows SEC football gets all stirred up over an article that Connor writes voicing his opinion. So what else is new. I hate this time of year because football season is still 3 months away. Now everyone needs to chill out, maybe the Aggies will win the Naty or just be mediocre but right now we still have to just wait until the Fall to find out how the Ags will do. Don’t get your blood pressure up right now…at least wait until Sept. Enjoy this summer and let’s just hope that the Aggies don’t lose a player to injury or something else bad doesn’t happen to the Aggies,
Demas didn’t get any snaps for far more reasons than “other guys being there”. We all know that. Attitude, lack of attention to detail, bad route runner, failure to learn the playbook, or just a bad egg. Something more than that was there. We just don’t know exactly what it was (I have my guesses).
The only thing that guy was good at was acrobatics