Did Texas A&M Football Waste Evan Stewart's Potential? Initial Thoughts and Reactions to Stewart Entering Portal

Reacting to Evan Stewart Entering the Transfer Portal after Up-and-Down Tenure at Texas A&M Football

By now, every Texas A&M football fan has to have seen the news that former five-star receiver Evan Stewart has entered the transfer portal. This is a move that, it seems, the entire college football viewing public has been anticipating since the moment that the man first committed to the Aggies back in late 2021.

Stewart's time as a part of Texas A&M football was marked by various levels of consternation brought about by different factors. The mood of Texas A&M football fans, for a variety of reasons, surrounding Stewart's presence on the team was that of constant anxiety as to whether he would stay or go. His production never quite matched his potential, vexing fans both in his direction and that of the now-departed offensive architect. Someone was always wondering aloud on a message board whether he was getting enough targets or NIL money or whatever in order to keep him happy and around.

All this hullaballoo (get it ha ha) was going on at the same time as Stewart consistently being overshadowed while on the field. Don't get me wrong—his athletic gifts and pure talent were readily evident to everyone watching. Those factors were without question, and they will lead to the narrative that he was wasted on this team and in this offense.

But for all that, it's hard to make the case that he was being "wasted" when there were so few games where he was the most productive receiver on the field. Ainias Smith, Moose Muhammad, Noah Thomas, and Jahdae Walker all took their turns outshining Stewart at one point or another. There was nothing, to look purely at the numbers, that put him head and shoulders above any of these guys.

Now, hear what I'm not saying: I am not saying that each of these players I have just named is just as physically gifted and might as well have been rated the exact same as Stewart. That is false. What I am saying is that those physical gifts have not been parlayed into superior production. This, then, calls into question the idea that the player possessing these gifts has been wasted by the team, given that players with fewer physical gifts were more productive in one way or another.

Moose outplayed Stewart overall in 2022. Ainias outplayed him in 2023, as did Jahdae down the stretch. Muhammad had a tendency to disappear at times, but both Smith and Walker were far more consistent in clutch moments (see what Walker did against both Ole Miss and LSU). Stewart was not hurting for touches, but he still was unable to emerge as a clear number 1 on the stat sheet in either of his first two seasons.

So, how will the tenure of Evan Stewart as a part of Texas A&M football be remembered? Unfulfilled potential? Needless anxiety? Way too much social media-watching on the part of the fans? Way too much tweeting on the part of rival fans? All of these in some measure, yes. But, hear me Aggie fans: he was given every opportunity here to succeed. The lion's share of the targets, made a focal point of the passing game, but for one reason or another could never separate himself from guys less physically talented.

I hope he figures it all out, because, if he does, that will be amazing to see. At some point, though, for all the talent you have, you are what the stat sheet says you are.