Clayton Jr. Named SEC Male Athlete of the Year

Clayton Jr. exited the program as one of the all-time greats after averaging 18.3 points per game and leading Florida to its third national championship. His 713 total points last season and 62 consecutive games with a 3-pointer made are program records.

In the Gators' biggest games, Clayton Jr. showed up in the biggest moments.

During Florida's run in the NCAA Tournament, he became the first player since Larry Bird to score 30 points in back-to-back games at the regional final or later after a 30-point effort in the Elite Eight win over Texas Tech and a career-high 34-point effort in the Final Four.

He was eventually named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, to the NCAA All-Tournament Team, the SEC Tournament MVP and the SEC All-Tournament Team.

Clayton Jr. was drafted 18th overall by the Washington Wizards before being traded to the Utah Jazz in the 2025 NBA Draft, giving Florida its first first-round pick since 2021.

Clayton Jr.'s latest accolade marks the third-straight year a Gator has been named an SEC Athlete of the Year, joining cross country/track and field's Parker Valby in 2024 and gymnastics' Trinity Thomas in 2023.

He is also the first men's basketball player to win the award since Kentucky's Anthony Davis in 2012.

Florida leads the conference with eight male and nine female Athlete of the Year winners. The full list of Gators honored can be found below.

Florida SEC Athletes of the Year

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