The Boz Returns: Oklahoma Legend Brian Bosworth Tapped as College GameDay Guest Picker for Sooners-Crimson Tide Showdown
College GameDay is pulling out all the stops for the College Football Playoff, and Oklahoma fans are getting a front-row seat to the spectacle. For the first time in program history, the Sooners are hosting a home playoff game-and ESPN is matching that moment with a Friday night edition of GameDay, complete with a guest picker who’s as iconic as he is unapologetically OU: Brian “The Boz” Bosworth.
That’s right. The Boz is back in Norman.
ESPN announced Thursday that the legendary Oklahoma linebacker will join the GameDay crew as their celebrity guest picker ahead of No. 8 Oklahoma’s massive CFP rematch with No.
9 Alabama. The show will be live from the South Oval on OU’s campus at 5 p.m.
CT before shifting inside Memorial Stadium at 6 p.m. for the final hour-just in time for Bosworth and the rest of the panel to make their game picks in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd.
And this isn’t just a regular appearance. It’s a full-circle moment.
Bosworth isn’t just a former player-he’s a living, breathing embodiment of Sooner swagger. His name still echoes through the halls of OU football history.
He was the face of the Sooners’ punishing 1985 national championship defense, and now, 40 years later, he’s back on the field-this time, with a mic instead of a helmet. But make no mistake: the energy he brings is just as electric.
Even head coach Brent Venables, a defensive mind in his own right, has openly acknowledged the mystique of The Boz. And it’s fitting, really, that this 2025 OU squad-anchored by Venables’ own hard-nosed, fast-flying defense-mirrors so much of what made Bosworth’s era unforgettable. It’s the kind of symmetry that doesn’t happen often in college football, and it adds another layer to an already heavyweight showdown.
Adding to the uniqueness of it all is the timing. College GameDay on a Friday?
That’s a rarity. But with the expanded playoff format introducing on-campus games in the first round, ESPN is adapting in real time.
The network is actually running two GameDay shows in two different states this weekend-Bosworth in Norman on Friday, and Johnny Manziel in College Station on Saturday ahead of No. 7 Texas A&M’s clash with No.
10 Miami.
But make no mistake, Friday night in Norman is the centerpiece.
College football fans are used to rolling out of bed on Saturday mornings to the familiar sounds of GameDay’s intro. This time, you’ll be catching it as you wrap up your work week.
And by the time the show moves into Memorial Stadium, the energy will be off the charts. More than 83,000 fans will already be packed in, ready to explode as Bosworth steps up to make his pick-just moments before kickoff.
You can almost picture it now: The Boz, standing midfield, surrounded by a sea of crimson, looking straight into the camera and telling the world why Oklahoma is going to take down Alabama again. And doing it with Nick Saban just a few yards away? That’s the kind of theater you can’t script.
For Sooner fans, this isn’t just a game. It’s a celebration of their past, a statement about their present, and maybe-just maybe-a glimpse into a championship future. And with Bosworth back in the building, it feels like everything is aligning for one unforgettable night in Norman.