ATLANTA — Two-time Butkus Award winner Brian Bosworth won a national championship as a star linebacker at Oklahoma in 1985. More than three decades later, he isn't afraid to speak his mind.
Bosworth signed autographs in Atlanta as part of a sponsorship with Panini in advance of the College Football Playoff championship game between Alabama and Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). Bosworth is surprised the fame of "The Boz" phenomenon lives on.
"It's been 30 years since I played," Bosworth said. "For a kid to come up to me and ask for an autograph; it's an honor. How much courage it takes for a kid to come up and ask for an autograph; it takes me back to Mean Joe Greene, an autograph and a Coke. It's a magical moment."
THE BOZ: 10 great moments from Bosworth's career
Bosworth said the matchup between Alabama and Georgia is a throwback to his days as a player under Barry Switzer in the 1980s. The 1985-86 Oklahoma team finished 11-1 and allowed just 8.6 points per game. The Sooners clinched the national championship that season with a 25-10 victory against Penn State in the Orange Bowl.
"I'm always going to go back to our 85-86 team and what he built through the recruiting classes," Bosworth said. "It's funny, I was talking to one of my friends the other day, and I said this would be a classic matchup against Georgia because the way they played, for our national championship defense, they played exactly the style of offense we liked to play against.
"It shows where the SEC places an emphasis on defense over or at least equal to the production of an offense," he said. "That's really the reason these are the teams playing at the end of the season."
Bosworth watched Georgia's 54-48 double-overtime victory against the Sooners in the Rose Bowl and heard the criticisms about Oklahoma's defense and the style of play in the Big 12. He's quick to point out that Oklahoma won its last national championship in 2000-01 with a 13-2 victory against Florida State in the Orange Bowl under Bob Stoops, and that, "You're not going to lose a game by giving up two points."
"To get to a championship game and win a championship, I just don't think you can rely solely on offense," Bosworth said. "It's a discipline that has to come out of high school, has to be recruited on to your campus then has to be cultivated with great coaching and great fundamental learning and breakdown of film. Once you get that change in the culture in the Big 12, you'll see some better defensive performances."
MORE: Five numbers that will decide the national title game
Bosworth, who was notorious for his on-field persona during his time at Oklahoma, also weighed in on Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, who emerged as the most polarizing player in college football in 2017. Bosworth sees a future for Mayfield in the NFL if he continues to develop around the right support system.
"They got overblown," Bosworth said of Mayfield's on-field antics. "There were very few things that Baker did to me that were offensive. Everything that Baker did was generated out of passion and love for the game and love for the teammates and love for the school.
"He plays with passion, enthusiasm, intensity and emotion," he said. "I would never suggest to him to throttle down any of those attributes that make him the player that he is."
Bosworth signed autographs Sunday in Atlanta as part of his partnership with Panini trading cards and the Panini Blitz app. Panini is an exclusive trading card partner with more than 200 schools.
"Their cards that they produce are unusually gifted in the way they put them together," Bosworth said.