Curt Cignetti is wasting no time endearing himself to the Indiana fan base.

Cignetti, who was hired to lead IU’s football program earlier this week, took a shot at Indiana’s in-state rival while speaking to the crowd at a Hoosiers basketball game on Friday night. He followed that up a jab at Big Ten powers Michigan and Ohio State as well.

“I’m super fired up about this opportunity. I’ve never taken a back seat to anybody and don’t plan on starting now,” Cignetti said. “Purdue sucks! And so does Michigan and Ohio State!”

Cignetti joins Indiana after a successful stint as James Madison’s head coach. He guided JMU as that program transitioned from FCS to FBS over the past couple of years. The Dukes went 8-3 in 2022 in their first season at the FBS level. This year, they went 11-1.

He takes over an Indiana program that has won 3 total Big Ten games over the past 3 seasons. The Hoosiers haven’t reached a bowl game since going 6-2 during their 2020 campaign.