It’s official: Clayton Echard is the next Bachelor!

Earlier this week, the very first look at Clayton’s season as the Bachelor dropped and Bachelor Nation has been buzzing about the news.

Many of Michelle Young’s fellow suitors showed their support for Clayton, with Nayte writing, “To the man who never called me an actor and also the man who gave me the most crucial pep talk when I needed it most, you remember! Happy for you and hoping you find your person, much love big dawg!”

Brandon J. also chimed in, calling Clayton a “king” and putting a crown emoji on his “Bachelor” announcement photo.

Many others from Michelle’s season, like Romeo, JoMarri, Will, and more, all posted congratulations for Clayton on the big news.

Since the big announcement, Clayton also stopped by “Good Morning America” to talk about this exciting new journey.

When “GMA” host Lara Spencer asked Clayton what it feels like to be the next Bachelor, he said, “I still get chills hearing that. It doesn’t feel real at times. I was so incredibly honored and humbled to have had this experience. I learned a lot about myself and it has been quite the journey.”

So exciting!

Lara went on to ask if Clayton had gone into the process knowing what he was looking for in a partner.

The new Bachelor said, “I went and I had a bit of a checklist of sorts. I was looking for somebody that was funny, intelligent, driven, and put forward an effort. I hoped I would find someone who checked off the things on that list, but what I found was very quickly that the women blew my expectations out of the water. They brought all of that and so much more.”

He said, “I realized that ultimately I was going to find everything that I wanted and so much more.”

So while he couldn’t spill much, Lara had to ask Clayton if he found love.

“I did find love. I was a little skeptical going into the whole experience, but I am so pleasantly surprised that things worked out differently than what I had thought. I’m so excited to watch it back and have everyone else watch it as well,” Clayton said.

And lastly, Clayton was asked what he learned about himself on this journey to find love.

He revealed, “There were so many things that I learned. I think the biggest one was becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable and stepping out of my comfort zone. It really challenged me to grow as an individual and there was so much that I learned about myself.”