The Florida men’s basketball program has a rich history – one that consists of deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, climbing the coveted steps on a ladder to cut down the nets and sending players to the NBA who would later become stars for years to come.
Despite the accolades, accomplishments and even a Hall of Fame former head coach in Billy Donovan, UF had never seen one of its players become a first-team All-American. That was until Florida senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. got the nod for the coveted award. The Sporting News awarded Clayton Jr. the nomination on Wednesday morning. With the selection, he becomes just the sixth player in program history to receive first-, second- or third-team All-American honors from a consensus selector.
“Definitely surprising that it’s the first in history,” the senior guard said. “I would’ve thought one of them guys Al Horford, Joakim [Noah], [Corey] Brewer, [Taurean] Green, one of them would’ve got it. So definitely a surprise, but just thankful. Thankful for all my teammates [and] all my coaches.”
The Lake Wales, Florida, native has facilitated the Gators’ offense at an elite level during the 2024-25 season. Clayton Jr. averaged a team-high 17.2 points and 4.3 assists per game while leading UF with 84 3-pointers.
Clayton Jr. made four or more 3-pointers in 10 games for the Gators and was invaluable in UF’s two wins over No. 1 teams this season (Tennessee and Auburn). A pair of the senior guard’s top performances this season came in crucial moments, with a career-high 33 points against Kentucky on Jan. 4 and a 22-point, eight-assist evening in a road win over then-No. 7 Alabama on Wednesday. His name was also written into Florida’s record books this season for the most consecutive games with a 3-pointer made (53 and counting).
With Florida’s first-round game in the NCAA Tournament just over one week away, Clayton Jr. will look to add some more hardware to his trophy case to cap off his illustrious college career.
The Gators will take on either Missouri or the winner of Mississippi State and LSU in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday. Tipoff in Nashville is set at 7 p.m.
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @alligator.org.
Max Tucker is a senior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose to further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
