[Read senior writer  Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]

Let’s pause before assuming Mike White missed something others didn’t—because nearly every major coach in Florida shared the same view of Walter Clayton Jr. Leonard Hamilton (Florida State), Jim Larranaga (Miami), Johnny Dawkins (UCF), Brian Gregory (USF), and Dusty May (Florida Atlantic) all passed on the Bartow High standout, despite his back-to-back Class 6A state titles in 2020 and 2021.

The consensus? Clayton wasn’t cut out for high-major basketball.

"I just remember thinking, 'If this guy can't play high-major basketball, who can?' " said John Frost.

Only Jacksonville, Florida Gulf Coast, and Stetson extended offers. Clayton chose Iona, entered the transfer portal two years later—just as Frost had predicted—and caught the attention of Florida’s Todd Golden.

During that dinner at Mark’s steakhouse, Golden—less than a year into his move from the University of San Francisco—pulled up Clayton’s advanced stats on KenPom.com  and was stunned.

His reaction? “Wait … what?” The Synergy tape backed it up.

Fast forward two years, and fans across the country are echoing that same disbelief—along with plenty of “wow” moments—as Clayton lights up the NCAA Tournament. He now leads the Gators (34–4) into Saturday’s Final Four showdown against Auburn (32–5) at the Alamodome.

Walter Clayton Jr. (1) on the attack against Maryland in the Sweet 16.

How did so many programs miss on Walter Clayton Jr.? And for that matter—how did they miss on Johni Broome, too?

Broome, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward from Plant City, wrapped up his high school career at Tampa Catholic without a single offer from in-state programs. He landed at Morehead State, posted standout numbers as a freshman, and later transferred to Auburn. Now, he’s the 2025 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and a first-team All-American.

Sound familiar?



"He probably plays with a chip on his shoulder," Broome said of Clayton this week. "I do the same thing."

Despite growing up just 40 miles apart—Clayton in Lake Wales and Broome in Plant City—both players were passed over by top programs across Florida and the Southeast. Today, they’re not only first-team All-Americans, but also finalists for National Player of the Year.

What are the odds?

"Very, very, very small," Clayton said.

Walter Clayton Jr., now the first first-team All-American in University of Florida basketball history and one of the brightest stars remaining in the Final Four, spent this week answering questions about his under-the-radar recruitment. His standout prep career began at Lake Wales High and concluded at Bartow High, yet interest from top basketball programs was surprisingly limited.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted recruiting cycles for many athletes, but in Clayton’s case, his reputation as a four-star football recruit—specifically as a safety—may have played a bigger role. With offers from elite football programs, many basketball coaches assumed he’d choose the gridiron over the hardwood.

Still, that doesn’t fully explain the lack of attention from college basketball programs.

"Maybe they didn't think I had enough skill at the time," Clayton said.

Walter Clayton Jr.’s journey took a pivotal turn when a tryout video landed on the radar of one of Rick Pitino’s assistants at Iona. The Hall-of-Fame coach was intrigued enough to make contact.

"Walt was a football player," Pitino said Friday at the Final Four, where he accepted the 2025 NCAA Coach of the Year Award—an honor he shared with Auburn’s Bruce Pearl. "What I liked about Walt, he won championships. And I wanted a winner at Iona. He was a winner. Even though he was a football player, I liked the way he passed the ball and what he was doing."

Clayton’s freshman year at Iona saw him start just four games, averaging 7.3 points. That season ended with a loss to Florida in the NIT, where Clayton posted eight points and four steals.

The following year, he broke out—earning Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors while leading Iona to a conference title and NCAA Tournament berth. He averaged 16.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and led the nation in free-throw percentage at 95.3%.

At that point, Clayton was already considering a move via the transfer portal.

Fast forward two years, and he’s now one of college basketball’s brightest stars. Florida head coach Todd Golden embraced Clayton’s potential, repositioning him as a scoring point guard and giving him full creative freedom.

Including the green light to shoot whenever he feels the moment is right.

If Walter Clayton Jr. can see the basket, it's a good shot. Sometimes, he doesn't even need to do that.

Florida head coach Todd Golden reflected on Walter Clayton Jr.’s evolution this season, crediting the team’s system for unlocking his full potential.

"He's always been able to make plays out of the ball screen and, obviously, been able to score at an elite level, but I think it was us providing that opportunity for him to play the lead guard and obviously surrounding him with guards that fit to lift up all the good parts of his game," Golden said. "It's the jump we expected him to make by having that opportunity. We had a lot of belief in him coming into this year and, obviously, he's rewarded us for that belief."

Senior guard Will Richard echoed that sentiment:

"It's been great seeing him show everybody what we already knew."

Clayton’s clutch instincts were on full display last week when he nailed a dramatic fall-away three-pointer to give Florida the lead against Texas Tech in the final minute. After the game, he received a text from a former Iona teammate.

"They said Coach P thought it was a bad shot," Clayton laughed.

But Clayton’s been hitting those all season—including four dagger threes in Florida’s upset win over then-No. 1 Auburn on February 8. He finished that game with 19 points and a career-best nine assists. Auburn’s Johni Broome countered with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, but Florida’s defense held him to 8-for-19 shooting.

Advantage Clayton—at least in that matchup.

"He played great. He made every shot that we didn't defend correctly," said Auburn associate head coach Steven Pearl.

"Anytime we went under a ball screen or under a [dribble-handoff] or didn't go over the top of a player, he banged a shot. We had a couple of execution flaws on the defensive end and he made us pay for every single one of them."

Similar praise has come from SEC coaches and those at Connecticut and Texas Tech, who watched Clayton deliver crunch-time heroics with deep, off-balance threes.

Across seven postseason games—including three SEC Tournament wins and four NCAA Tournament victories, five of which came against ranked opponents—Clayton has averaged 21.6 points, shooting 46.7% from the field, 47.4% from three-point range (on 57 attempts), and 88.9% from the free-throw line (on 45 attempts).

Walter Clayton Jr. has been one of the coolest dudes in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.