Walter Clayton Jr. has always been a late bloomer — in basketball, at least. As Clayton has grown into an all-time March Madness hero during the 2025 NCAA tournament, a central part of his lore is that Florida offered him a football scholarship years before he signed with the school out of the transfer portal in basketball.

Florida will be leaning on NBA hopeful Walter Clayton Jr. as the Gators seek their first hoops title in almost 20 years.

While his "clutch gene" has been critical to Florida's run, more relevant for NBA purposes is that his ability to shoot off the catch with deep range gives him extreme gravity, while his ability to shoot off the dribble prevents defenders from ever going under ball-screens and thus enhances his playmaking ability.

Clayton has spent March one-upping himself, making so many big shots his teammates (but not Carmelo Anthony) are at a loss for words.

Walter Clayton put together another historic performance in Florida's Final Four win over Auburn, becoming the first player to have back-to-back 30-plus point games in the Elite Eight or later since Larry Bird.

Walter Clayton Jr. has led Florida to its first national championship appearance since 2007, and on Monday night, he will look to finish the job in San Antonio with a trophy.

The senior guard scored at least 30 points in the regional final and national final, the first time since Larry Bird, to help the Gators rally over Auburn.

Walter Clayton was a better football prospect than basketball one in high school. A lookback at his recruitment:

San Antonio, TX, USA; Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) dribbles the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the second half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.