USC Football: Lincoln Riley Shocks WR With Scholarship Announcement

Sam Garcia | Aug 8, 2024

Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Scholarships at the Division I level are hard to come by. With a maximum limit of 85 total players that USC is allowed to award a scholarship, claiming one of them is not a simple task. It is a task that took redshirt junior wide receiver Josiah Zamora three seasons to achieve.

On July 29, the USC football X account shared a heartwarming video of head coach Lincoln Riley announcing to the team that Zamora would be awarded a scholarship for the 2024 season. Riley initially called Zamora up to break the huddle at the end of practice, but then he surprised Zamora and his teammates with the news.

who doesn’t love surprises? @_JosiahZ_ pic.twitter.com/zkbtsdBVlI

— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) July 29, 2024

The team went wild as they celebrated the hard work, commitment, and determination that earned the underdog a scholarship.

“I appreciate y’all boys. I love y’all, man. Coming out here to work every day, I just love y’all man,” Zamora said to his teammates after the announcement. 

Zamora, a Southern California native, was a walk-on in the 2021 season. His 5-foot-8, 180-pound build did not give him a good foundation to be a Division I athlete. He did not make any appearances as a reserve wide receiver in his first two seasons with the Trojans.

It was obvious he would struggle to make the team, let alone play in a game. Earning a scholarship was not on most people’s radar for Zamora. But, as the well-known phrase goes, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” 

Well, Zamora fought. As a redshirt junior, Zamora made his first appearance as a USC player last season against Nevada. Zamora recorded two catches for 11 yards against the Wolf Pack, contributing to the Trojans’ 66-14 victory. 

Zamora went on to make two more appearances that season against former Pac-12 opponents  Stanford and Oregon. USC defeated Stanford but lost to ESPN’s current No. 3 Oregon. 

He will now compete for playing at wide receiver this season.

Before arriving in Los Angeles, Zamora played with Max Prep’s No. 1 ranked high school football team, Mater Dei. As a senior, he made the 2021 All-Trinity League first team after recording 24 receptions for 255 yards and four touchdowns. 

USC has recruited multiple players from Mater Dei, including current Trojans Solomon Tuliaupupu, Raesjon Davis, Kyron Hudson, and Corey Herhus. The 2004 Heisman Trophy winner, Matt Leinart, played for Mater Dei before going on to set many USC records.

Zamora, along with the rest of the Mater Dei alums, will begin the 2024 season on Sep. 1 against LSU.

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