How did Ohio State's Puff Johnson get the nickname 'Puff?'

Puff Johnson isn’t his real name.

Ohio State’s sixth-year forward, who has taken a circuitous path to joining the Buckeyes during the 2025-26 season, grew up in in Pennsylvania. Before he became a standout basketball player who would log 120 games at three schools while battling a litany of injuries, Johnson was just a little kid given the name Donovan by his parents, Gilbert and Amy Johnson.

As he became a four-star prospect in the class of 2020, however, not many people knew him as Donovan Johnson. They called him Puff, and the origin story of that nickname dates back to his younger days.

Where did Puff Johnson get his nickname?

As a child, Johnson was a fan of the cereal Cocoa Puffs. Because of that, his mom started calling him “Puff,” and the nickname stuck.

Now, the 6-foot-8, 200-pound is back in the NCAA Tournament with the Buckeyes. After securing a temporary restraining order to gain eligibility for a sixth year in mid-January, a Franklin County judge upheld that ruling in early February and cleared the way for him to finish out his final season of men’s college basketball at Ohio State.

Johnson played three years at North Carolina, where he was part of a 2022 team that reached the national championship game before falling to Kansas. In 2023, he transferred to Penn State, where he played 46 games in the next two seasons before transferring after the 2024-25 season and committing to the Buckeyes while fighting for eligibility.

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In five seasons, Johnson had played in 111 games while battling multiple injuries with both the Tar Heels and Nittany Lions. He entered the 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament having played nine games for the Buckeyes, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds while making one start.

In 120 career games, Johnson has averaged 5.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per appearance.

Ohio State men's basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why is Ohio State basketball's Puff Johnson nicknamed 'Puff?'