5-Star WR Prospect Evan Stewart to Sit Out Senior Season Amid Open Recruitment

Elite football prospect Evan Stewart will sit out the remainder of his senior season at Liberty High School in Frisco, Texas, in order to prepare for his college career.

"I will be foregoing the rest of my senior year and mentally and physically preparing myself for the next level of my football career and a huge step in life," he wrote on social media.

The uncommitted player is considered the top receiver in the 2022 recruiting class and the No. 3 overall prospect in the country, per 247Sports' composite ranking. The 5-star initially committed to Texas before reopening his recruitment in March.

Stewart had 19 receptions for 414 yards and three touchdowns in three games this season, but missed two of his team's last three games.

As Ari Wasserman of The Athletic noted, the receiver could be following in the path of quarterback Quinn Ewers, who skipped his senior year to enroll early at Ohio State. Ewers left to take advantage of the NCAA's new name, image and likeness rules and has already reportedly earned nearly $1.5 million in NIL deals.

Stewart can now also start earning money as he looks to monetize his social media presence with 2.1 million followers on TikTok. He would have been ineligible to profit off his likeness under Texas high school rules.

The 6'0", 175-pound wideout will also focus on the opportunity to finalize his recruitment. He took official visits to Texas and Florida in June as well as unofficial visits to Texas A&M, Alabama and LSU.