CHARLESTON – A Charleston Southern Football great will have his legacy continue to be enshrined in the school's legacy this fall. Former All-American Buccaneer quarterback, Collin Drafts, will have his No. #7 jersey retired on October 11, 2025.
 
"I would like to thank Charleston Southern University for this incredible honor," shared Drafts following the announcement. "My time playing football at CSU from 2003-2006 was truly some of the best years of my life. Looking back, I am proud of what we were able to accomplish as a program – achieving things that many thought were not possible and leaving behind a legacy that still means so much to me."
 
The retired jersey honor will be the second time that Charleston Southern Athletics has recognized Drafts since his graduation. The signal caller was one of three inductees named to the Charleston Southern Athletics Hall of Fame class in 2011.
 
"I also want to thank former Head Coach Jay Mills, our assistant coaches, and most importantly, my teammates," said Drafts. "None of this would have been possible without the bonds we built and the work we put in together. Having my jersey retired is something I will carry with me forever. Go Bucs!"
 
"Collin Drafts' career at CSU has left an unforgettable mark in the history of Buccaneer football and many of his records remain today," said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Jeff Barber. "By retiring his jersey, we are not only recognizing his outstanding accomplishments but also the lasting impact he has made on our football program."
 
Drafts became the first CSU football player to be inducted into the Big South Hall of Fame earning the nod into it on June 1, 2017. He was a catalyst during the league's early football years from 2003-06 being a three-time All-Big South selection at quarterback, he was the 2005 Big South Offensive Player of the Year and earned Honorable Mention All-America honors that season from the Weekly Football Gazette.
 
Drafts became the fifth Charleston Southern player/coach to be inducted into the Big South Conference Hall of Fame, joining coaches Howard Bagwell (2003) and Jim Settle (2005) and athletes Hans Olsen (2006) and Jim Gardas (2010).
 
Drafts led Charleston Southern to its first Big South football championship in 2005 with a 34-27 double-overtime comeback win over No. 8 Coastal Carolina in the season finale. The four-year starter helped turn the Bucs around from 1-11 as a freshman in 2003 to 5-5 as a sophomore, 7-4 as a junior and 9-2 as a senior, and the program achieved its first national ranking during Drafts' time at quarterback.
 
Voted to the Big South Football All-Decade Team for 2002-09, Drafts was an eight-time Big South Player of the Week honoree (seven – offense, one – freshman) and he earned two Weekly Football Gazette National Player of the Week and two College Sporting News National Weekly All-Star honors during his career.
 
Drafts graduated in 2006 as the Big South's all-time leader in 13 categories: passing yards (9,768), touchdowns responsible for (90), total offense yards (10,571) and total offense per game (240.3) -- conference records that stood for nine seasons, in addition to passing efficiency (134.43), passing yards per game (222.00), 300-yard total offensive games (11) and completion percentage (62.0).
 
He remains the Big South's career leader in pass completions (833), attempts (1,344), touchdown passes (73), 20-TD pass seasons (3), most four-TD pass games (6), multi-TD pass games (21) and total offensive plays (1,848). He also rushed for 803 yards and 17 scores during this time at CSU. He remains the Bucs' career leader in touchdowns, pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards, passing TDs, completion percentage, total offensive yards and total offensive touchdowns, and still holds numerous program single-game and season records.
 
Drafts set a Big South single-game record with 453 yards of offense vs. Gardner-Webb in 2006 (now fifth-highest single-game total) and set the Big South single-game passing record with 419 yards in 2004 (now fourth-highest). He is just one of two quarterbacks in Big South history with two 400-yard passing games and two 5-TD pass efforts.