Walter Clayton Jr. adds to the Gators' historic season, claiming an honor never before bestowed on a Florida men's basketball player.
Clayton Selected First-Team All-America by The Sporting News
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 | Men's Basketball
Walter Clayton Jr. was named first-team All-America on Wednesday by The Sporting News. Florida's senior guard becomes the first player in program history to earn first-team All-American status.
Clayton is the sixth Gator to earn first-, second- or third-team All-America recognition from a consensus selector. Previous second- or third-team honors have been earned by Scottie Wilbekin (2014), Al Horford (2007), Joakim Noah (2007), Udonis Haslem (2001) and Neal Walk (1968, '69).
The Gators' leading scorer for the second straight season, Clayton averages 17.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 3-point field goals per game this season. He has helped lead Florida to wins vs. two different No. 1 opponents, just the fifth team in men's college basketball history to do so, and five total top-25 wins.
Clayton and the Gators have posted a 27-4 regular season, the second-highest regular season win total in Florida history, and a No. 4 national ranking entering postseason play.
The Lake Wales, Fla., native has 10 games this season with at least four 3-point field goals, and his active streak of 53 straight appearances with a 3-pointer is a Florida record. After missing one game with injury, Clayton returned and played all 40 minutes in the Gators' win at top-ranked Auburn. In the nine games since his return, Clayton has averaged 5.6 assists and 3.1 3-pointers per game with a 2.94 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Clayton has received a wide range of accolades already, earning All-SEC honors from the coaches, Associated Press and USA Today. He is a top 15 finalist for the John R. Wooden Award and one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award.
The Sporting News is the first of the acknowledged consensus All-America selectors to announce its team, a group that also includes the Associated Press, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
The No. 4 Gators return action in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday at 7 p.m. EDT in Nashville.
Gators on All-America Teams
1st, 2nd or 3rd Team by Consensus Selectors
The Sporting News All-America
First Team
Johni Broome, Auburn
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
Cooper Flagg, Duke
Mark Sears, Alabama
Braden Smith, Purdue
Second Team
Eric Dixon, Villanova
PJ Haggerty, Memphis
Kam Jones, Marquette
John Tonje, Wisconsin
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Third Team
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
RJ Luis, St. John's
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
Clayton is the sixth Gator to earn first-, second- or third-team All-America recognition from a consensus selector. Previous second- or third-team honors have been earned by Scottie Wilbekin (2014), Al Horford (2007), Joakim Noah (2007), Udonis Haslem (2001) and Neal Walk (1968, '69).
The Gators' leading scorer for the second straight season, Clayton averages 17.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 3-point field goals per game this season. He has helped lead Florida to wins vs. two different No. 1 opponents, just the fifth team in men's college basketball history to do so, and five total top-25 wins.
Clayton and the Gators have posted a 27-4 regular season, the second-highest regular season win total in Florida history, and a No. 4 national ranking entering postseason play.
The Lake Wales, Fla., native has 10 games this season with at least four 3-point field goals, and his active streak of 53 straight appearances with a 3-pointer is a Florida record. After missing one game with injury, Clayton returned and played all 40 minutes in the Gators' win at top-ranked Auburn. In the nine games since his return, Clayton has averaged 5.6 assists and 3.1 3-pointers per game with a 2.94 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Clayton has received a wide range of accolades already, earning All-SEC honors from the coaches, Associated Press and USA Today. He is a top 15 finalist for the John R. Wooden Award and one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award.
The Sporting News is the first of the acknowledged consensus All-America selectors to announce its team, a group that also includes the Associated Press, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
The No. 4 Gators return action in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday at 7 p.m. EDT in Nashville.
Gators on All-America Teams
1st, 2nd or 3rd Team by Consensus Selectors
| Walter Clayton Jr. | 2025 | 1st Team TSN |
| Scottie Wilbekin | 2014 | 3rd Team AP, NABC, TSN |
| Al Horford | 2007 | 2nd Team NABC; 3rd Team AP |
| Joakim Noah | 2007 | 2nd Team AP, NABC, USBWA |
| Udonis Haslem | 2001 | 3rd Team AP |
| Neal Walk | 1969 | 3rd Team AP, UPI |
| Neal Walk | 1968 | 2nd Team AP, UPI |
The Sporting News All-America
First Team
Johni Broome, Auburn
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
Cooper Flagg, Duke
Mark Sears, Alabama
Braden Smith, Purdue
Second Team
Eric Dixon, Villanova
PJ Haggerty, Memphis
Kam Jones, Marquette
John Tonje, Wisconsin
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Third Team
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
RJ Luis, St. John's
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
Players Mentioned
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