Puff Johnson's long-term eligibility status is no longer in limbo for Ohio State basketball.
On Monday, a Franklin County judge granted Johnson a preliminary injunction in his case against the NCAA, preventing the NCAA from deeming him ineligible during his sixth and final season of college basketball. The decision upholds an earlier temporary restraining order granted for Johnson against the NCAA on Jan. 17.
After being denied a medical hardship waiver that could have granted him a sixth year of eligibility outright, Johnson sued the NCAA for his eligibility in November. A federal court denied his injunction against the organization originally, but Johnson won his case in state court.
One of the more fascinating eligibility rule cases gets even more fascinating.
— Sam C. Ehrlich (@samcehrlich) February 23, 2026
Denied a preliminary injunction in federal court. Refiles in state court. Gets TRO -- and now a preliminary injunction -- in state court. https://t.co/EO7JtMkF4I pic.twitter.com/V0N2waXsTt
Johnson has played in seven games for Ohio State since landing his TRO on Jan. 17, averaging three points and one rebound in 13 minutes per game. He's mostly contributed bits and pieces from the bench, but with John Mobley Jr. and Devin Royal both out, he made his first start of the season against Michigan State on Sunday. He scored two points in 20 minutes with no rebounds or assists.
Before arriving at Ohio State ahead of the 2025-26 season, Johnson spent two years at Penn State. His best campaign came in 2024-25 when he averaged 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest. He started his career with three seasons at North Carolina, where he never averaged more than 4.1 points per game.
When Royal returns from the illness that sidelined him vs. the Spartans, Johnson will return to his bench role for Ohio State. He's shown flashes of providing quality depth, scoring eight points against USC on Feb. 11. With his eligibility battle behind him, the Buckeyes hope to get more performances like that out of the sixth-year veteran.
