Vice President-elect JD Vance, a native of Middletown and an Ohio State University alum, flexed his Buckeye pride at the Ohio inaugural ball hosted in Washington D.C. Sunday night.

The 40-year-old former Ohio GOP senator led the “OH-IO” chant and dissed Michigan football during his remarks to the crowd of Ohio officials and supporters. Sen. Bernie Moreno gifted the Vice President-elect with a personalized No. 1 Ohio State jersey featuring “Vance” on the back, a spokesperson for Moreno told the Enquirer.

“I would not be where I am without the incredible generosity and the incredible spirit of the people of the state of Ohio. I am so honored to be an Ohioan,” Vance said, as shown in a video posted to Facebook.

Vance also gave shout-outs to his “great teachers” at Middletown High School who took an interest in and mentored him. He claimed Ohio showed out the most for Monday’s ceremonies, saying Ohio represented the biggest state delegation there, according to Butler County Auditor Nancy Nix.

“Ohio is not just the place that made me who I am. I think Ohio is the Republican Party of today and the Republican Party of the future,” he added.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Vance’s mom Beverly Aikins, Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court Sharon Kennedy and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy were among the guests in attendance at the black-tie event.

Aikins addressed the crowd briefly while they waited for her son to arrive. The Middletown resident said how proud she is of Vance, and the crowd sang her happy birthday since she turns 64 Monday. Aikins also said Sunday marked her 10-year sobriety anniversary, Nix said.

Vance will take the oath of office alongside President-elect Donald Trump today, hours before Ohio State faces Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff final in Atlanta. The Ohio native graduated from Ohio State University in 2009, calling that part of his life “put-up-or-shut-up time” in his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.”

After Ohio State defeated Texas in the Cotton Bowl Friday, Vance joked on social media: “Hopefully everyone is cool with me skipping the inauguration so I can go to the national title game.” He clarified during a Sunday interview with Fox News that he was kidding and will attend his and Trump’s inauguration.