The Florida Gators have capped off their impressive campaign with a historic breakthrough: Walter Clayton Jr. became the first Gator to earn First-Team All-American status.
Clayton Jr. joins fellow SEC standout Johni Broome, which is certainly a testament to their exceptional talent and impact on and off the court.
Walter Clayton Jr. Made History for Florida
The Florida Gators, a team that has seen a who’s who of college basketball walk through its doors, have not had a First-Team All-American until today.
Al Horford, Joakim Noah, and Bradley Beal are just some of the stars Florida has seen walk through its doors. They haven’t even earned this accomplishment despite being named All-American. Scottie Wilbekin, Udonis Haslem, and Neal Walk have also won All-American, but none had gotten that First-Team accomplishment.
Walter Clayton Jr. on being named First-Team All-American for the first time in Florida Gators history:
“Definitely surprising that it’s the first in history. I would have thought one of those guys like Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Brewer… so definitely a surprise, but thankful for… pic.twitter.com/579cOIFas3
— Isaac Edelman (@IsaacEdelman) March 12, 2025
Clayton Jr. has averaged 17.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game. He went through quite the evolution coming into the season.
After playing his first two seasons at Iona College, Clayton Jr. transferred to Florida and has been on arguably the best run of his college career over the past couple of years as a Gator. He became a lead guard capable of scoring at all three levels of the game.
Clayton has also shown that he can get his teammates involved with his personal-best assist numbers in his four years as a college player.
He has been shooting 45.6% from the field, including 37% from beyond the arc. This improvement, combined with his career-high assist numbers, shows his growth as a player. This Gators team is known by many as one of the best in the nation, and he plays a big role in why that is.
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The senior has become a much better passer. He has shown this many times, including fast breaks, full-court passes, and more. He has also shown improvement as a defender and maintained his impressive three-point shooting, which put him on the map in the first place.
While Florida has seen its share of All-Americans come through the door, none of them made First Team. Clayton Jr. has been one of the best that has come to Florida and more than deserves this accomplishment.
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