Walter Clayton Jr. was named the first team nationally by Sports News on Wednesday. Florida’s senior guard will be the first player in program history to achieve national status for a team.
Clayton is the sixth gator to win national recognition for the first, second or third team from the consensus selector. Previous second or third team honors were won by Scottie Wilbekin (2014), Al Horford (2007), Joakim Noah (2007), Udonis Haslem (2001), and Neal Walk (1968, ’69).
Clayton, the Gators’ key goalscorer with a two-game win in a row, averages 17.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 3-point field goals per game this season. He has helped win Florida, but has earned two different No. 1 opponents, the fifth in men’s college basketball history, and five total top 25 victories.
Clayton and the Gators recorded a 27-4 regular season in Florida history, the second-highest regular season total, and the national ranking of No. 4 participating in postseason play.
The Lake Wales, Florida native has played 10 games this season with at least four three-point field goals, with 53 consecutive wins on three pointers being Florida’s record. After missing a game due to injury, Clayton came back and played all 40 minutes in the Gators’ victory at top-ranked Auburn. In his first nine games since his return, Clayton averaged 5.6 assists and 3.1 3 pointers per 3.1 games, with a 2.94 assists-to-turnover ratio.
Clayton has already received widespread acclaim and has earned all-SEC honors from his coach, Associated Press and USA Today. He is a top 15 finalist for the John R. Wood Awards and one of five finalists for the Bob Coochy Awards.
Sports News is the first of a recognized consensus national selector to announce teams, a group that includes the Associated Press, the American Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC).
No. 4 Gators will return the action in the Friday SEC Tournament quarterfinals of Nashville’s EDT EDT.
Gaters from the US team
First, Second or Third Team Walter Clayton Jr. 2025 Third Team AP Joakim Noah 2007 Second Team AP, NABC, USBWA UDONIS HASLEM 2001
Sports News All America
First Team
Johnny Bloom, Auburn
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
Cooper Flag, Duke
Mark Sears, Alabama
Braden Smith, Purdue
Second Team
Eric Dixon, Villanova
PJ Haggerty, Memphis
Cam Jones, Marquette
John Tonjae, Wisconsin
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Third Team
LJ Cryer, Houston
Ryan Calkbrenner, Clayton
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
RJ Lewis, St. John’s
Zakai Zeygler, Tennessee
