There are two ways to do a scholarship reveal. There's the sentimental track, where the head coach praises the walk-on for everything that made the staff notice him and deem him worthy of a scholarship, holding him up as an example for everything they want the program to be.
And then there's the showbiz track, where the program celebrates the walk-on by making as big a deal about his newly-minted scholarship status as possible. This is often seen by turning it into a surprise, but not always. If a walk-on is called to the stage during a magic trick and has a camera shoved in his face, for instance, he probably knows something is up.
The best of these reveals combine both elements, as Louisville does here.
First, Cardinals head coach Scott Satterfield calls attention to three players -- junior running back Maurice Burkley, sophomore defensive back Jack Fagot and sophomore tight end Marshon Ford -- and explaining why they're the day's award winners.
"They've done everything they're supposed to do," Satterfield says. "They show up on time, you don't even have to ask them. They've brought the juice... they keep getting better."
The award, the viewer thinks, is a t-shirt. Better than not getting recognized, but nothing to call Mom about.
But it's all setting up for a plot twist. For a few brief moments, Burkley, Fagot and Ford are holding full scholarships in their hands but have no idea. It's only when Satterfield tells them to look at what's on the t-shirts do they learn they're scholarship athletes.