NCAA

Donald Trump's fast food plan worked ... because Clemson's star QB Trevor Lawrence tells TMZ Sports he LOVED the President's McDonald's spread at the White House and can't wait to do it again!

Lawrence and the rest of the Clemson Tigers arrived to 1600 Penn to celebrate their National Championship victory over Alabama ... where President Trump personally selected the food menu.

"I think we're going to serve McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King with some pizza," Trump said to the media earlier that day ... explaining, "I would think that's their favorite food."

When the team arrived, the fast food -- Big Macs, Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and more -- was waiting for them on silver platters on a table decorated with gold candelabras ... real fancy stuff.

"It was awesome," Lawrence told us while taking pics with Clemson fans ... "We had McDonalds and everything. It was good!"

Another fan asked Lawrence how many times he plans on returning to the White House -- to which he replied, "Hopefully, a few more!"

Trump also enjoyed the dinner with the champs -- tweeting out, "Because of the Shutdown I served them massive amounts of fast food (I paid), over 1000 hamberders etc."

Hey, it's hard to spell correctly when your body is sluggish with berder meat.

Go Tigers!

Steph Curry is the most famous person to EVER play basketball at Davidson College (by far!) ... so, why hasn't his jersey been retired?!

Simple -- Steph's gotta get his degree first. Seriously.

Remember, Steph is a LEGEND at Davidson, where he was a consensus 1st Team All-American and famously led the Wildcats to the Elite 8 in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

So, when we spotted Steph's old college coach, Bob McKillop out in D.C., we had to get an explanation for why Steph's old #30 jersey ain't hangin' in the rafters.

"I think he's in the process of completing his degree," McKillop told us after heaping TONS of praise on his old player.

We followed up with the school and athletic director Chris Clunie told us that Steph is still actively working on his degree ... and as soon as he completes his education, boom -- the jersey gets retired.

Clunie says the school is extremely proud of all that Steph has accomplished on and off the court. They love the guy.

It's Trevor Lawrence's world and we're all just living in it ... so says ex-Clemson star Charlie Whitehurst, who tells TMZ Sports he's completely blown away by the young QB.

Lawrence's skills (and hair) have been the talk of college football this season ... and now that he helped the Tigers take down Alabama for the title, Charlie says the dude's turning into a superstar.

"Obviously, he could brand himself right now and who knows what kind of money he could make if that was within the rules," Whitehurst says.

"The way he looks and the way he played, I mean ... 19 years old and he's got the world by the balls, to be honest with you. I think we're all envious of that a little bit."

Think Nick Saban would leave his college football dynasty to take another swing at success in the NFL??

Here's Julio Jones to knock some damn sense into you ... cause the ex-Bama superstar tells TMZ Sports there's NO WAY his old coach should leave Tuscaloosa for the pros.

We spoke with the Falcons receiver about Bama losing to Clemson in the title game earlier this week ... and he says there's no need to jump ship over one loss.

"Dabo (Swinney) was just the better coach and they were the better team."

Jones says Saban has built something special with the Crimson Tide ... and says the dude should ride that wave for as long as he can.

President Trump is congratulating the Clemson Tigers for winning the national championship ... because he's just announced that Dabo Swinney's football team will visit the White House next week, and it's a big win for the Prez.

POTUS announced Friday he's hosting the Tigers in our nation's capital Monday, the second time in three years Clemson will visit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Dabo's squad also shook hands with Trump in June 2017 after winning it all.

Getting Clemson to the White House is huge for Trump. It's no longer an automatic for major sports champions to visit the President.

Remember, team visits to the White House became routine in the 1980s ... until the NBA champion Golden State Warriors started a trend last summer by making clear they wouldn't visit Trump.

The Philadelphia Eagles threatened to boycott the White House after winning last year's Super Bowl, and they never showed.

The Villanova Wildcats didn't visit the White House after winning last year's NCAA men's basketball tournament. Ditto for the NHL's Washington Capitals.

Like Clemson, the World Series champion Boston Red Sox accepted Trump's invitation, and pitcher Heath Hembree famously told us he f*cks with Trump. The Sox will visit sometime during the upcoming MLB season.

Joe Namath is keepin' it classy when it comes to Alabama losing in the National Championship game -- congratulating Clemson for simply outplaying his alma mater.

"Never like losing," Namath said on his way out of CBS in New York ... "We got outplayed and that's the way it goes."

"Congratulations to Clemson."

Namath says the 44 to 16 loss to Clemson wasn't exactly heartbreaking -- probably because Bama has won FIVE national titles since 2009 ... not bad.

By the way, Namath was a beast at Bama back in the day ... starting at QB for the Tide in 1962 (as a sophomore) under legendary head coach Bear Bryant.

Sen. Lindsey Graham is in such a good mood after his home state Clemson Tigers won the national championship ... he's inviting Democrats to call him up to make a deal to end the shutdown!

In fact, the Senator from South Carolina says he's INSPIRED by the Tigers -- saying the way they came together as a team is a lesson for Congress on the whole.

"Remember that to be successful you have to be a team .. and so, I'm gonna take that attitude about trying to bring the Congress together."

Graham says he's still gung-ho about finding a way to fund the border wall -- and it seems he's willing to work with Democrats when it comes to the Dream Act.

"There's a deal to be had ... secure that border with a wall component, help the Dream Act population [and others] who have been here for decades who are about to lose their legal status and do some legal reforms and call it a day."

"There's a deal to be had so let's go get it ... and after the football game, I'm in a good mood, so if you're a Democrat, give me a call."

DABO DANCE MOVES ARE BACK!!!

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney pulled a page outta BlocBoy JB's book to celebrate winning it all on Monday night ... bringing out his "shoot" dance -- and his players totally lost it!!

Clemson shocked Alabama by whoopin' the Tide 44-16 in the College Football Playoff National Championship ... and the Tigers capped off the win with a dance party for the ages.

Dabo's been known to get loose after Clemson dubs ... and already had the "dab" and "hit dem folk" in his repertoire.

But, this one had to be even better than his other moves, and the dude didn't disappoint.

Of course, there was more shade towards new Bama fan, Drake ... as the team jumped around and chanted his song, "Big Rings."

Here's some great news going into your holiday weekend ... Shareef O'Neal could be back on the UCLA basketball court in 4 to 5 months!

... this according to his dad, Shaq.

The Diesel was at the Magic Wheels Toy Giveaway in L.A. doing his Santa Shaq thing (awesome, BTW) when he gave us the update on his son who underwent heart surgery on Dec. 13.

As we previously reported, UCLA doctors detected an abnormality during a routine check up and advised O'Neal that a heart procedure was crucial.

Shaq told us Shareef is continuing to focus on his recovery and hopes to be back on the floor as early as April -- which is fantastic news!

There's more ... Shaq also weighed in on Lil Wayne recently saying he thinks Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan.

When we asked Shaq to pick his #1 -- he went with someone else entirely ... not Magic Johnson, not LeBron, not himself!

But, the best part of this clip is the great work Shaq continues to do in the community -- making sure every kid has a Merry Christmas!

Shaq has been doing toy drives for 26 YEARS -- and you can tell from the video ... he's just as passionate about helping out now as he was when he started.

Ex-Little League baseball phenom Mo'Ne Davis is all grown up -- and she's signed a letter of intent to play college softball at Hampton University in Virginia.

Remember, Davis SMOKED EVERYBODY with her insane 70 mph fastball during the 2014 Little League World Series -- becoming the first girl to toss a shutout in post-season play. She was only 13 at the time.

Now, she's a senior at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia -- where she's still murdering the competition on the softball field, the soccer pitch and the basketball court.

Davis has been recruited by a ton of major college programs -- but ultimately decided on Hampton because of the prestigious communications department, according to her parents.

Davis will reportedly be a middle infielder at Hampton. Unclear if she'll play basketball too, but we know she's a BALLER on the court.

Back in 2015, Mo'ne was drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters after COOKIN' Kevin Hart in a celebrity basketball game.

Best signing day announcement ever!!!

High school football star Cooper Dawson -- a top defensive end at Hanahan High in South Carolina -- didn't feel right holding a press conference by himself on Wednesday to announce his college plans.

So, he brought a friend with him ... a guy who's been his inspiration while he recovers from an ACL tear -- Kingsley Feinman.

Kingsley has cerebral palsy -- and Dawson explained that he's learned a major life lesson from his friend, "The only disability is a bad attitude."

And, when the big moment came, Cooper whispered his college destination into Kinglsey's ear so he could make the announcement to the media.

What ensued is just awesome ... and props to WCIV's Scott Eisberg for capturing the whole thing on video.

The only sad part ... is Cooper didn't pick the school Kinglsey had hoped he would attend.

Still, guessing KF will learn to root for a new team.

Congrats!!

Ex-USC wide receiver Joseph Lewis has been released from jail after serving nearly 6 months of his sentence in his domestic violence case ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, 19-year-old Lewis was arrested back in July after his GF told police he had punched, scratched and strangled her during an argument.

Lewis pled no contest to 1 felony domestic violence charge -- and also admitted guilt in a previous domestic violence incident.

He was sentenced to a year in county jail -- but got out after roughly 6 months due to overcrowding and good behavior.

Now that Lewis is out, he's still not allowed to contact the victim who obtained a 10-year restraining order against him.

Lewis had just 4 catches as a freshman for the Trojans back in 2017 but was expected to be a big contributor this season before he was booted from the team.

The players don't get paid, but they do get perks ... serious ones ... 'cause some of the biggest teams in college football are getting the biggest gifts for making bowl games, and we've got a rundown for you.

Squads like LSU, Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson are all playing in big money games, and that comes with big money sponsors who give out some huge swag.

We ain't talkin' about cheap crap either ... PlayStations, designer backpacks, iPads and fancy gifting suites are all on the menu ... as long as you got a major bowl.

So enjoy, young men!! Play your video games and floss your watches, all while you eat Cup Noodles in your dorm rooms next year, you unpaid broke jokers.

Ohio State's No. 1 QB recruit says Urban Meyer's health issues were "evident" ... and the coach had to step down because, "him going out there was a health risk to his body."

Dwan Mathis -- a 4-star recruit from Michigan and OSU's lone 2019 QB commit -- says he had a few conversations with Meyer ... and it was clear to him the coach's retirement was necessary.

"He knew that him going out there was a health risk to his body and everything," Mathis tells TMZ Sports ... "So, I said, 'Coach, you gotta do what's best for you and your family.'"

Mathis says it was apparent from both their talks and when Urban was on the sidelines this season that the coach was fighting a battle he was struggling to win.

"Really, it was evident what was wrong with him," Mathis says.

"Really, just him with the headaches and the migraines and, you know, college football stadiums get real loud. So, really, that's just the biggest thing -- he has to stay healthy for himself and his family."

The good news for Mathis and the Buckeyes? Urban says he's still planning to be around the program -- which is one of the reasons Dwan says he's sticking with his Buckeyes pledge.

Obviously, that's huge for OSU's future ... Mathis is a 6-foot-6 beast -- who could push for playing time if Dwayne Haskins bolts to the NFL next season!!

Tua Tagovailoa's poor performance in the SEC Championship game ain't gonna cost him the Heisman Trophy ... at least, that's what Tony Dorsett's sayin'.

The Cowboys legend and former Heisman Trophy winner himself says Tua is still his pick for the prestigious award over Kyler Murray despite nearly costin' the Tide against Georgia.

"What I've seen out of Tua, I like," Dorsett says ... "He's going to get my vote."

That hasn't been the most popular opinion lately ... Tua completed just 14 of his 24 passes before getting hurt against the Dawgs -- leading some to switch their votes to Murray last week.

But, Dorsett clearly ain't one of those people.

"If I had a bet, I'd probably bet [on Tua]. That'd probably be my bet."

BTW ... we also asked Tony about Derrick Henry's 99-yard TD run that tied his record for longest in NFL history -- and the ex-Cowboy says he still hasn't seen it, but he's sure it was impressive as hell!!

Will he stay or will he go???

Dwyane Haskins says he ain't sure ... but did he just drop a massive clue??

Maybe ... 'cause the Ohio State QB -- who's out in NYC prepping for Saturday's Heisman Trophy ceremony -- told Adam Glyn ... "I'm pretty close to graduating."

Of course, most QBs facing the decision to stay in school or jump to the NFL put at least SOME weight on their degree when making the choice.

So, would Haskins finishing up his credits this year mean he's putting his name in the 2019 NFL Draft?

"I don't know yet," he says. "I gotta work it out with my parents and talk about it. I'm just enjoying the moment right now."

It wouldn't be the worst move for the redshirt sophomore ... 'cause most NFL mock draft experts have him pegged for the top half of the first round if he were to come out.