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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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The No. 4 Gators return action in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday at 7 p.m. EDT in Nashville.
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Gators on All-America Teams
1st, 2nd or 3rd Team by Consensus Selectors
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The Sporting News All-America
First Team
Johni Broome, Auburn
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
Cooper Flagg, Duke
Mark Sears, Alabama
Braden Smith, Purdue
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Second Team
Eric Dixon, Villanova
PJ Haggerty, Memphis
Kam Jones, Marquette
John Tonje, Wisconsin
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
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Third Team
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
RJ Luis, St. John's
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
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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).
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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.
Β
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.
Β
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.
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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.
Β
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).
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The No. 4 Gators return action in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday at 7 p.m. EDT in Nashville.
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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 |
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The Sporting News All-America
First Team
Johni Broome, Auburn
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
Cooper Flagg, Duke
Mark Sears, Alabama
Braden Smith, Purdue
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Second Team
Eric Dixon, Villanova
PJ Haggerty, Memphis
Kam Jones, Marquette
John Tonje, Wisconsin
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
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Third Team
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
RJ Luis, St. John's
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
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Players Mentioned
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