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Florida Makes Exciting Walter Clayton Jr. Announcement on Wednesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Hugh Green | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 2:11 PM ET

It has been a phenomenal past few months for Walter Clayton Jr. After leading the Florida Gators to their third national championship in program history, the awards and honors started rolling in.

Clayton earned a consensus first-team All-American spot, becoming the first ever Florida player to do so. He also added Final Four and West Regional Most Outstanding Player, along with SEC Tournament MVP honors throughout Florida's title-winning season.

On Wednesday, Clayton added the most prestigious honor in the conference to his resume, earning the 2025 Roy F. Kramer SEC Male Athlete of the Year, the Gators announced on social media.

This was the ninth time a Florida athlete has been given the honor, and the first Gators basketball player to earn it. The last recipient from UF was track star Grant Holloway in 2019.

The Lake Wales, Florida, native spent two years with the Gators after playing his first two collegiate seasons with Rick Pitino's Iona Gaels. In 2024, Clayton led Florida with 18.3 points per game to go along with 4.2 assists and over one steal per contest.

Clayton's unreal play throughout his senior year, particularly his clutch performances en route to Florida's title, led to him being a first round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He was selected with the No. 18 overall pick by the Utah Jazz, adding to Utah's young backcourt core.

Since being drafted, Clayton has shown off his skills against NBA talent. He has played three games thus far in the NBA Summer League, averaging 11 points, over five assists and a pair of rebounds. This includes a game-high 20-point performance Tuesday night in Utah's victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Now, being named the 2025 SEC Male Athlete of the Year, Clayton's collegiate resume has been built, as he hopes to show off his skills at the professional level as a rookie this year.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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