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Walter Clayton Jr. named a First-Team All-American by The Sporting News

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi•about 12 hours•

ZachAbolverdi

Dec 4, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) smiles while sitting on the floor after making a three point basket against the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Dec 4, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) smiles while sitting on the floor after making a three point basket against the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gators senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. was named first-team All-America on Wednesday by The Sporting News. He becomes the first player in program history to earn first-team All-American status.

Clayton is the sixth Gator to receive first-, second- or third-team All-America recognition from a consensus selector. Previous second- or third-team honors have been earned by Scottie Wilbekin (2014), Al Horford (2007), Joakim Noah (2007), Udonis Haslem (2001) and Neal Walk (1968, ’69).

Clayton has led Florida in scoring the past two years, averaging 17.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 3-point field goals per game this season. He helped lead UF to wins against two different No. 1 teams and set a school record with 53 consecutive games with a 3-pointer.

After missing the Vanderbilt game with an ankle injury, Clayton returned and played all 40 minutes in the Gators’ win at top-ranked Auburn. In the nine games since his return, he has averaged 5.6 assists and 3.1 3-pointers per game with a 2.94 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Clayton has received a wide range of accolades already, earning All-SEC honors from the coaches, Associated Press and USA Today. He is a top 15 finalist for the John R. Wooden Award and one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award.

The Sporting News is the first of the acknowledged consensus All-America selectors to announce its team, a group that also includes the Associated Press, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

Clayton and the Gators have posted a 27-4 regular season, the second-highest regular season win total in Florida history, and a No. 4 national ranking entering postseason play.

UF returns action in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday at 7 p.m. ET in Nashville.

Gators on All-America Teams

* 1st, 2nd or 3rd Team by Consensus Selectors

Walter Clayton Jr.20251st Team TSN
Scottie Wilbekin20143rd Team AP, NABC, TSN
Al Horford20072nd Team NABC; 3rd Team AP
Joakim Noah20072nd Team AP, NABC, USBWA
Udonis Haslem20013rd Team AP
Neal Walk19693rd Team AP, UPI
Neal Walk19682nd Team AP, UPI

The Sporting News All-America Team

First Team
Johni Broome, Auburn
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
Cooper Flagg, Duke
Mark Sears, Alabama
Braden Smith, Purdue
 
Second Team
Eric Dixon, Villanova
PJ Haggerty, Memphis
Kam Jones, Marquette
John Tonje, Wisconsin
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
 
Third Team
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee
RJ Luis, St. John’s
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee

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