'He's Special': Clayton Jr. Continues to Make History

The All-American scored a game-high 34 points as the Florida Gators advance to the national championship.

Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) shoots the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the first half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

SAN ANTONIO-- Florida Gators stars Will Richard, Thomas Haugh and Alijah Martin were all in agreement when asked to use one word to describe All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr. after defeating Auburn in the Final Four.

"I'll just say special, to be honest. He's special," Richard said before Haugh and Martin echoed his statement

Clayton Jr., coming off a 30-point effort in the comeback win over Texas Tech in the Elite Eight, scored a game-high 34 points in Saturday's 79-73 win over the Tigers, which advanced the Gators to its first national championship since 2007 and fourth overall in program history.

LATE-GAME WALTER CLAYTON HAS ARRIVED 🎯#MarchMadness @GatorsMBK pic.twitter.com/4jsADtBYTT

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2025

Not only did his point total set a new program record for points in a Final Four, it also was the most points scored by a single player in a national semifinal since 1989. He also became the first player in NCAA Tournament history since Larry Bird to record back-to-back 30-point performances in the Elite Eight or later.

It isn't just the sheer number of points, but it's the fact that Clayton Jr. scores right when Florida needs him the most, and it was no different on Saturday. He hit multiple 3-pointers in the second half and found consistent success in the paint, either by scoring or drawing fouls, deep into the second half.

WALTER CLAYTON JR. IS NOT HUMAN.#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/KTJN8TMaYB

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2025

"He's poised, calm and collected, confident in himself," Richard said. "We have that confidence in him. We see him practice, see his work ethic. We're glad everybody else is getting to see him do it in a game."

While he continues to cement himself as one of, if not, the greatest Gator basketball player of all time, Clayton Jr. remains focused on the task at hand with an upcoming date with the winner of the Duke-Houston matchup for the national championship.

"I guess you could say I haven't really had time to reflect on what I've been doing," he said. "I've just been focused on us winning game, winning games with these guys. I haven't taken the time to reflect back on the season yet."

Additionally, it would be easy for an ego to be boosted or jealousy to run amok, but instead, Clayton Jr.'s humility stands out, and his teammates' support have sparked the team to its first national championship appearance in nearly 20 years.

"A guy like Walt gets asked all the questions, all the attention for a great effort like tonight, but there's no animosity there, no one concerned about that," head coach Todd Golden said. "These guys are just trying to win a championship. I'm proud of that, proud of what our program is."

Clayton Jr. will conclude his collegiate career on Monday in the national championship. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:50 p.m. with television coverage on CBS.