SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Larry Johnson believes in Santa Claus.

And that has given his Ohio State defensive linemen a reason to fear jolly old Saint Nick.

Back when the longtime, respected assistant began his coaching career, Johnson made a vow to himself and all of his players that he would never use profanity. But in sticking to his pledge, he has had to lean on a replacement word over the years -- one that might make the holidays just a bit more painful for the Buckeyes when the name “Santa Claus” is tossed around even more frequently.

“That’s his go-to word,” said defensive tackle Dre'mont Jones, whose Buckeyes take on Clemson on Saturday in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. “I hear it too much. ‘Santa Claus.’

“It’s almost funny to hear, because I’ve never heard that before in my life. Replacing a cuss word with the word 'Santa Claus'? I actually like it.”

The name-dropping actually serves two purposes for Johnson. He also believes that it’s more likely to capture and retain the attention of his players, who might smile at first when they hear those two Christmasy words but have learned by now how serious the conversation is about to get when Johnson barks them out.

And Johnson has also gotten pretty good at delivering his message in a way that might even sound R-rated.

“When you hear his name, it’s pretty loud and with a lot of force,” defensive end Jalyn Holmes said. “See, the Coach Johnson you all see is a really nice, jolly dude, but let you mess up a play and see what happens. He’s not going to cuss at you, but you’re going to hear ‘Santa Claus.’ And when you hear that, it’s a done deal. It’s on.

“It gets to you more. That’s his way of yelling, so that’s when you know: OK, he’s at his boiling point right now.”

Johnson gets to that point like any other coach, and just because his vocabulary is a little different doesn’t mean he approaches his job with any less intensity. He’s as demanding as they come in the profession, and his results speak for themselves. Under Johnson, the Buckeyes have developed stars such as Joey Bosa, and Ohio State has developed one of the most fearsome pass-rushes in the nation.

And the Buckeyes hang on his every word, which is by Johnson’s design.

“My high school coach, he was the kind of tough, grinder, get-after-us coach,” Johnson said. “My college coach was the same type of guy. I decided if I ever got a chance to coach football, there’s one thing I’m not going to do. I think I can motivate players without using those words. I know I can. So I’ve been on this campaign throughout my entire coaching career.

“I’ll get after them pretty good, and they know that I’m there, but I won’t use those words. Because you lose them. At some point in that minute, you lose them -- and you may not get them back. I don’t want to do that.”

So Johnson found another way to get through to his players.

And in the process, he has turned the Buckeyes into believers.

“I didn’t believe it when Coach Johnson said he didn’t curse before I went into his position room,” defensive end Sam Hubbard said. “But he really hasn’t in two and a half years I’ve been there. I haven’t heard one cuss word come out of his mouth. It’s remarkable. He’s an example to us all.

“But when he wants to get his message across, he definitely can without those words.”

So the last thing Ohio State wants is a visit from Santa.