Saturday should have been a special day for former Virginia Tech QB Jerod Evans. He should have heard his name called at the 2017 NFL draft. He certainly has the talent to play in the NFL, even if it may be a few years before he’s ready to contribute.

Evans went undrafted, though. It wasn’t a total shock. Many analysts believed he could have used another year in school. Virginia Tech fans agreed, but they obviously had more selfish reasons for wanting Evans, who broke the school records for completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns in a season, to return to Blacksburg for another season.

Evans didn’t really have a whole lot to gain from coming back another year though. Sure, he may have been able to improve on his inconsistent footwork which hurts his accuracy. But was working with a college staff for another 12 months going to help him more than getting hooked up with a pro staff? And Evans is already 23. You don’t see whole lot of teams clamoring for a 24-year-old prospect.

Evans going undrafted was not a complete shock, but it was somewhat surprising. He was pegged as fifth- or sixth-round talent, which he probably heard from various agents and coaches. Knowing that, it’s hard to blame him for wanting to take the next step in his career and fulfill his dream of getting drafted. But that didn’t stop a group of Virginia Tech fans from doing so.

Evans fired off a defiant tweet after not hearing his name called Saturday…

I will NEVER forget this . — Jérod Evans (@rodfor6_) April 29, 2017

And here’s a sampling of the responses he got from that salty subsection Hokies fans…

@rodfor6_ Never forget what? How you left too early and grossly overestimated your draft stock? — Hokie829 (@hokie829) April 29, 2017

@rodfor6_ Seems like you overestimated your draft stock — Start Jumping (@JumpingHokie) April 29, 2017

@rodfor6_ You entered the draft with only 1 year of BCS play for scouts to look at. Even Vick stayed 2 years. You're no #MichaelVick — M Gibson (@mel_gibson_the) May 1, 2017

@rodfor6_ Pretty sure no one cares — Kristie (@kristierene22) April 30, 2017

@rodfor6_ Forget what? How virtually every expert told you to stay, and you didn't listen? — Clifton Murray (@cliffhokie1) May 1, 2017

@rodfor6_ Never forget that everyone thought you should have stayed in school I mean everyone. — Winston Williams (@WinstonTruth10) April 29, 2017

Jerod Evans that's why you shouldn't of left early…… — Chase Harrison (@VAChuckHTTR) May 1, 2017

It’s worth mentioning that there were plenty of Virginia Tech fans who were supportive of Evans. This is not about those fans, who clearly understand the world does not revolve around their rooting interests, and it’s not really about Virgina Tech fans specifically. College fanbases around the country are guilty of this. Players are celebrated until they are no longer of use. Of course there are athletes who transcend this phenomenon, but the Jerod Evans of the college sports world are far more prevalent.

The same Hokies fans who couldn’t wait to tell Evans “I told you so” last Saturday were pretending to care him about him on Saturdays last fall when he was helping to lead the Virginia Tech program back to national prominence. But they didn’t actually care about him. They only cared about his contribution to their favorite team.