'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Talk Show: Clayton Named SEC Male Athlete of the Year

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Clayton Named SEC Male Athlete of the Year

Florida star guided Gators to national title, becomes first UF men’s basketball player to win prestigious Roy F. Kramer honor

GAINESVILLE, Fla. | Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. has been named the 2025 Southeastern Conference Roy F. Kramer Male Athlete of the Year, the league announced Wednesday, capping off a historic season that saw the junior guard lead the Gators to a national championship and etch his name in the college basketball record books.

Clayton becomes the 14th different Gator to earn the SEC's top individual athletic honor and the first men's basketball player in school history to receive the distinction. His selection brings Florida’s total number of Roy F. Kramer Athlete of the Year awards to 17—more than any other SEC school—with eight male and nine female honorees.

A native of Lake Wales, Fla., Clayton averaged 18.3 points per game in 2024–25, finishing with a program-record 713 total points. He shined brightest under pressure, scoring 30 points in the Elite Eight against Texas Tech before dropping a career-high 34 in the Final Four against Auburn. With those performances, Clayton became the first player since Larry Bird in 1979 to record back-to-back 30-point games in the regional final or later.

Clayton’s dominance extended into the SEC Tournament, where he averaged 20.7 points, hit 13-of-26 from beyond the arc, and was named both MVP and to the All-Tournament Team as Florida captured its first conference title in over a decade.

The accolades continued beyond the court. Clayton was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player, earned consensus First-Team All-America honors, and graduated from UF in Spring 2025 with a degree in Educational Sciences. He was selected 18th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz.

Clayton joins an elite group of former Florida greats to receive the SEC’s top male athlete honor, including Tim Tebow, Caeleb Dressel, and Ryan Lochte. His award also marks the third consecutive year a Gator has earned one of the SEC's Athlete of the Year titles, following Parker Valby (2024) and Trinity Thomas (2023).

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-- By Jessica Perry

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'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Talk Show Video

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Clayton Named SEC Male Athlete of the Year

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