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Walter Clayton Jr. Reacts to Significant Blow to Florida Program After National Championship

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Apr 18, 2025 12:50 PM ET

The Florida Gators won the program's third national championship on April 7, defeating the Houston Cougars in a nail-biter 65-63.

With the transfer portal open only until April 22, the time is now for head coach Todd Golden to reload. Florida's trio of starting guards—Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard, and Alijah Martin are all out of eligibility.

To replace them, Golden already landed one of the top point guards in the transfer portal in Princeton Tigers guard Xaivian Lee.

However, on Friday, guard Denzel Abeerden announced that he will be leaving Florida and entering his name into the transfer portal. Aberdeen was Florida’s fourth guard that came off the bench, giving the Gators the rare luxury of having four high-level perimeter players to lean on.

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Following his announcement, several of his Florida teammates commented on his post, sharing their support for him. Among them was Clayton Jr.

"Forever with you Zelly ❤️," the Florida star wrote.

Aberdeen’s departure caught Florida fans off guard, especially since many expected the Orlando native to finally step into a starting role next season after spending the last three years waiting his turn on the bench.

According to college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman , the decision "had little to do with the addition of Princeton transfer PG Xaivian Lee and was far more about finances/NIL, source told."

This past season, the 6-foot-5, 175-pounder averaged 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Aberdeen was a three-star coming out of Dr. Phillips High School, according to 247Sports.

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

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