One of the annual feel-good stories around college football this time of year is the walk-on player being put on scholarship in recognition of his hard work and contributions behind the scenes (in most cases).

This summer for USC, it was redshirt junior wide receiver Josiah Zamora.

The official USC football Twitter account revealed the news a few days before the start of fall camp, but the moment actually happened earlier this summer.

"It was really special. I've been here for a while under Coach Riley and it's been work -- we've been working, I've been competing. It's been a blessing," Zamora said. "... I had no idea. I had zero expectations for it. I just show up to work, try to make the team better, so that wasn't even a thought in my mind. It was just a normal Friday for me, show up and work. It's a blessing. It caught me by surprise for sure."

Zamora shared how it all unfolded ...

"We had finished some summer workouts, we came together as a team and Coach Riley, we were going to break it down and he was like our [workout] winner is going to break us down. It was [from our] winter workout -- we kept points, kind of a point system thing. I went to go break us down and he was like, 'Oh yeah, Zamora's going to break us down because he's also getting put on scholarship today.' It was really special," he said.

"It's really special for me as well because summer workouts my little brother actually just came -- he's on the team as well -- so he got to see it. And just show, hard work, it pays off. It's been work. It's hard work. I attack everything, keep my head down and work. I try not to get caught up in any of the outside noise or anything like that. I just show up, do what the coaches ask and put my best foot forward."

Zamora, a 5-foot-8 wide receiver out of Mater Dei High School, caught 2 passes for 11 yards while getting into three games last year.

As he explained, having his senior high school season come during the Covid year and get moved to the spring, he didn't get much attention from recruiters but thanked former USC head coach Clay Helton and former Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson for helping him get the walk-on opportunity with the Trojans.

And he's made the most of it while earning the respect of his coaches and teammates along the way.

"Man, Josiah is Mr. Reliable. He is an absolutely do-it-all kind of guy," fellow wide receiver Duce Robinson said. "He's a veteran, he's been here through both coaching staffs. He'll show up every single day and you know exactly what you're going to get. He's an absolutely outstanding leader, a great competitor. He's going to make every play you ask him to.

"For example, right, he just did an internship in New York at the end of summer, right? He had to miss a week of lifting with the team for that internship, but man, he was out there every single day he was up at 5 a.m. sending us videos of him doing all the lifts that we were doing. Literally same exact lift that we did in the weight room the same time. And he's getting it done 3,000 miles across the country before he starts his internship. If that doesn't tell you what type of character he has, what type of leadership he brings, I don't know what else would."

Said quarterback Miller Moss: "Just to see how hard he's work and for him to be able to get his Master's degree paid for, it's life-changing. It's a lot more than football. ... And it couldn't happen to a better guy."

Zamora reflected back on his time at USC and the mindset he's carried with him throughout these last few years.

"Obviously, there's financial things that can get hard. I don't view it as a handicap as far as the football field goes. Everyone has to show up to the same field, everyone has to learn the same plays and everyone has to compete," he said. "So it wasn't so much of a handicap on the field, but financially obviously it presents a burden. USC's a great school and it comes with a price."

Not anymore.