ATLANTA — Like all of his teammates in the immediate moments after the Peach Bowl, Antonneous Clayton grabbed a black T-shirt that read “Champions” across the front with the Florida logo below. The burly, 6-foot-2, 255-pounder slipped the shirt on over his shoulder pads. He wore a commemorative black hat, too.



That was mostly the extent of Clayton’s participation in the initial on-field celebration after Florida’s 41-15 win against Michigan on Saturday. The defensive end/outside linebacker was present in body, and he exchanged a couple congratulatory embraces with teammates before joining the team at a podium near the end zone. But it was clear from the way he stood alone on the field with a stare toward oblivion at times that some other emotions and thoughts shared space in his mind.



“I mean, I wish I was out there,” Clayton told The Athletic inside the Gators’ locker room. “I’m grateful for the win and...