Clayton Jr. Named AP First Team All-American

Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. has now been named to two publications' all-America first teams.

Mar 16, 2025; Nashville, TN, USA; Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) drives to the basket past Tennessee Volunteers guard Jordan Gainey (11) during the second half at the 2025 SEC Championship Game at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Florida Gators senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. on Tuesday added another impressive accolade to his resume after being named First Team All-American by the Associated Press.

Clayton Jr. was previously named to The Sporting News' All-America First Team, marking the first time in program history that any player was named to any national first team from any publication.

AP first team all-american 🙌 pic.twitter.com/OXOr9698b6

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 18, 2025

Clayton Jr. has saved his best for last in his final collegiate season.

The senior guard currently leads Florida in scoring per game (17.5), 3-point shooting (37.7 percent) and assists per game (4.2). His scoring mark is sixth in the SEC, and his 3-point shooting percentage is 11th in the conference.

Not to mention, he's playing at his best at the most crucial times. Clayton Jr. averaged nearly 21 points per game over Florida's three games in the SEC Tournament, eventually earning tournament MVP as the Gators won its first conference tournament title in 11 years.

He was also named First Team All-Tournament, First Team All-SEC by the league's coaches, is a semifinalist for the Naismith Award (player of the year) and is a finalist for the Bob Cousey Award (top point guard).

"Feels great," Clayton Jr. said Sunday. "You could have put any one of our guys on the team. You could have put anybody up there. Just feels great to be named to that team."

While the accolades are great, the job's not done for Clayton Jr. and the Gators, which locked up the No. 1 seed in the West Region and will play No. 16 Norfolk State on Friday.

"I just think we continue to prove when we have been all season, which is being one of the best teams in America, continuing to show that we can beat anybody in America. When we're playing like this, I think we are the best team in America. We got to keep going," head coach Todd Golden said.

"Obviously that can change at any time. We got to have the mental toughness to keep pushing through, not be content and satisfied to what we've done to this point. This is a huge goal of ours to get the SEC tournament championship. We still have a lot left to do here in March and playing for the NCAA tournament as well."

Tipoff between the Gators and the Spartans in Raleigh, North Carolina is at 6:50 p.m. with television coverage on TNT.