How Fans, Media Reacted to New Purdue AD Tommy McClelland's Attempted Jab at Indiana

Tommy McClelland certainly knows how to make headlines. Just a few moments into his introductory press conference, the new Purdue athletic director decided to take a shot at the school's arch-rival, Indiana.

"We are here to win championships. If you don't want to win championships, go to Indiana," McClelland said on Thurdsay.

It took only a few minutes for that comment to make its way to social media. Indiana, of course, is coming off a 16-0 season and claimed its first national championship in football in program history. In the last two seasons, the Hoosiers have defeated the Boilermakers by a combined total score of 122-3.

McClelland is certainly confident, and spoke frequently about putting Purdue in position to win Big Ten and national championships. However, that attempted jab at Indiana fell flat.

There were plenty of responses and reactions to McClelland's comments on social media. There was a wide range of backlash, criticism, and even support regarding his press conference on Thursday in West Lafayette.

The backlash

It will probably come as no surprise that a majority of the comments on X were critical of McClelland's comments. Indiana just won the national championship in football and has posted a 27-2 record over the last two seasons.

Curt Cignetti's program hasn't had any trouble with the Boilermakers in that stretch, beating Purdue 66-0 in 2024 and 56-3 last fall. So, yes, there were plenty of people who took the opportunity to question McClelland's jab at IU.

Two years of Cignetti:

Indiana: 122
Purdue: 3 https://t.co/NR8WcyJHUL
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) August 6, 2026

Remind me the scores when Purdue and IU played? Checks notes: 56-3. https://t.co/x9Nbr8UCQ7
— Shae Cornette (@shaepeppler) August 6, 2026

Godspeed Purdue on Nov. 28 in Bloomington https://t.co/TXxzzlsMyn
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 6, 2026

“If you don’t want to win Championships, go to Indiana”

-New Purdue AD Tommy McClelland

😂😂😂

Buddy, Indiana just went 16-0. won the National Championship and beat Purdue 56-3 last year. pic.twitter.com/UMLpkU65Bs
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 6, 2026

The new Purdue AD just embarrassed himself. 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/pi8SUXFOxu
— Jennifer ☮️💟 (@jennifer40iu) August 6, 2026

Uhhhhhhhhh…
— Boiled Sports (@BoiledSports) August 6, 2026

Purdue fan here…

Horrible timing after IU just won a Natty https://t.co/R5wNc26pqT
— DK (@DKsayingthings) August 6, 2026

People looking past the attempted zinger

Maybe the comment about Indiana wasn't the best, but those who listened to McClelland's entire 40-minute press conference were impressed by what he can do for Purdue.

Several fans thought McClelland should have scrapped the joke, but also found it harmless banter amongst a rival. The meat of the press conference is what Purdue fans were most interested in, learning how he's going to turn the athletic department into a contender in the Big Ten.

If you can look past the viral comment, there was plenty to like about what McClelland plans to bring to West Lafayette.

If there’s one thing that stood out from Tommy McClelland’s press conference, it’s that he expressed his understanding of the importance of properly funding rosters in this era. It’s paramount for the future success of Purdue football.
— Boilers and Beyond (@BoilersBeyond) August 6, 2026

I will admit this quote was bad. However, I did like the rest of his speech. He wants to change the culture overall in Purdue sports, especially in football. https://t.co/LqOvgBydBf
— SVPAnalytics (@SVPAnalytics) August 6, 2026

In all seriousness on the Purdue AD presser outside of one gaffe - people don't understand how much this guy gets it.

Bobo's "revenue sharing will cure all" set Purdue Athletics back a decade. McClelland is going to print money for this admin. He understands the modern game
— Isaiah Walker (@walkeri141) August 6, 2026

Yeah…….but, hey, the rest of that press conference was exactly what I wanted to hear.
— Kraig Bowers (@kraigbowers34) August 6, 2026

I’m sorry but did Cignetti not come in and say some similarly outlandish and way-overly-confident shit about OSU and Michigan right off the bat?

It’s very tone-deaf, sure, but I appreciate the confidence to even talk trash.

Are we supposed to just roll up in a ball and cry now? https://t.co/wYusX4DV4c
— Pete (@ElitePurduePete) August 6, 2026

Final verdict

McClelland was attempting to win over a fanbase that has endured some lowly football seasons over the past three years. If he had made the comment in 2023, everyone wearing the black and gold would be celebrating.

It's poor timing, considering Indiana's success on the gridiron over the past two years, but a harmless comment. Remember, Cignetti did something similar when he took the head coaching job in Bloomington, proclaiming that Purdue, Michigan and Ohio State all "sucked."

Cignetti seemed like a loon at the time, but has backed it up with results.

If McClelland can help get the football program back on track and have multiple teams competing for Big Ten championships soon, nobody will remember what was said during his introductory press conference on Thursday.

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