Ohio State’s men’s basketball team added to its roster just past the midpoint of the regular season when Donovan “Puff” Johnson was granted a temporary restraining order and gained immediate eligibility for another season of college basketball.
“We’re excited for Puff to join our program,” said head coach Jake Diebler in a statement released on Friday. “This has been a long process for he and his family. We’re happy for them and are looking forward to getting him on the court.”
Johnson’s first three years in college were spent at North Carolina before he transferred to Penn State for two more seasons. His five years were riddled with different injuries, which led to him seeking another year of eligibility at the college level. He had transferred to Ohio State as a student and was waiting on a decision, but was denied earlier this season. However, that decision has now been reversed.
Johnson’s original argument was that a wrist injury he suffered last season was misdiagnosed, and he was told that he could play. He played with the wrist injury, and about a week after it was diagnosed, he ended up getting a season-ending surgery. Johnson claimed that had it been properly diagnosed, he would have sat out of the games he played in and would have been able to redshirt.
Johnson will likely not play against UCLA on Saturday since he hasn’t been with the program for long. However, with multiple injuries on the Buckeye roster, Johnson’s help will likely be welcomed since Diebler has been looking for more players to produce when they’re on the court.
In his most recent season with the Nittany Lions, the 2024-25 campaign, Johnson played over 23 minutes per game and averaged 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals.
