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Walter Clayton Jr. named SEC Male Athlete of the Year

On3 imageby: Zach Abolverdi07/09/25ZachAbolverdi
Walter-Clayton-Jr-Florida-Gators
Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) holds up the trophy after winning the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. (Bob Donnan-Imagn Images)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Walter Clayton Jr. became the 13th first-round pick in the NBA Draft in Florida Gators history. On Wednesday, he became Florida’s 14th all-time Kramer Athlete of the Year honoree (17 total honors) and the first in men’s basketball.

Clayton was named the Southeastern Conference’s Roy F. Kramer Male Athlete of the Year, the SEC announced. He led the Gators to the 2025 men’s basketball national championship, set UF’s single-season scoring record (713 points) and was the first UF basketball player to earn first-team All-America recognition (and a consensus pick). He garnered Final Four and West Regional Most Outstanding Player honors as well as SEC Tournament MVP. 

Clayton averaged 18.3 points last season. He scored a career-high 34 points against Auburn on the heels of 30 in the Elite Eight victory vs. Texas Tech — becoming the first player with back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite Eight and Final Four since Larry Bird in 1979. Clayton had 11 second-half points vs. Houston with the game-winning defensive stop. He averaged 21.8 points in his nine postseason games spanning the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.

Clayton is UF’s sixth male athlete so honored, joining Danny Wuerffel (1995, ’96), Ryan Lochte (2005), Tim Tebow (2007, ’08), Caeleb Dressel (2018) and Grant Holloway (2019). This also marks the third straight year that Florida has had an honoree with Parker Valby (2024) and Trinity Thomas (2023) taking home Female Athlete of the Year recognition. Florida leads the SEC all-time with eight male and nine female Athlete of the Year honors.

“I’m just telling you right now that’s what’s gonna happen. Because you look at guys like Fred VanVleet, Damian Lillard, like he’s in that bucket,” UF coach Todd Golden said of Clayton. “I’m not saying he’s gonna get there right away. But the guy just had the most incredible senior season tournament run, whatever you want to say. He’s got real size, incredible athlete, elite shooter. I mean, what doesn’t he do? And he just wins all the games, and that matters to some teams.”

Clayton graduated from UF in Spring 2025 with a degree in Educational Sciences and was selected 18th overall in the NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. He had a 20-point game in summer league play on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Clayton scored 15 of his 20 in the second half with four 3s, four assists, a steal and a block.

Florida’s SEC Athletes of the Year

2025Walter Clayton Jr.Basketball
2024Parker ValbyCross Country/Track & Field
2023Trinity ThomasGymnastics
2019Grant HollowayTrack & Field
2018Caeleb DresselSwimming
2016Bridget SloanGymnastics
2015Lauren HaegerSoftball
2014Hannah RogersSoftball
2009Tim TebowFootball
2008Tim TebowFootball
2005Ryan LochteSwimming
1997Danny WuerffelFootball
1996Danny WuerffelFootball
1994Nicole HaislettSwimming
1993Nicole HaislettSwimming
1988Dara TorresSwimming
1984Tracy CaulkinsSwimming

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