Recruiting momentum leads to boost in season ticket sales

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Pitt didn’t disclose whether Damar Hamlin’s commitment last Monday night boosted season-ticket sales. But there’s no question that the official announcement of the signings of Hamlin and 23 other recruits last Wednesday had an impact.

Athletic Director Scott Barnes said Monday that Pitt sold approximately 4,500 season-ticket packages last week, a highly-concentrated portion of the 15,000 season tickets that have already been sold this offseason.

To put that number in perspective, at this point last year Pitt had sold 4,500 total season tickets - roughly the same amount sold just in the last week.

“Last week was a huge week, and part of that was the signing class,” Barnes said. “We did go out to renewals; we’ve really focused on our current season-ticket holders and mini-plan holders and single-ticket buyers to presale to them and get those sales numbers up before we went out publicly. But I think the timing of all that was a key part.”

Led by Hamlin and four other four-star prospects, Pat Narduzzi’s 2016 recruiting class ranked No. 30 in the nation according to Rivals.com, the highest ranking since the 2008 class.

That recruiting success followed Pitt’s most successful season in terms of wins since 2010 and a bowl game that saw the team lose but the fanbase mobilize in impressive fashion as the fans bought out several allotments of tickets.

The on-field success seems to portend well for Narduzzi, and his overall approach to the program has fans feeling optimistic. But the recruiting class, which included several Signing Day decisions and most of the local area’s top talent, seems to have spurred the fanbase to action.

“It’s part of the overall momentum of the program,” Barnes said. “We’re not specifying this kid or that kid; just a recruiting class, the momentum. It’s all part of that momentum, part of any number of things - getting to a bowl, winning eight games, the recruiting class, the spring game coming up now, getting our former greats back, they’re all opportunities to get the message out there that we need more of our Panther nation on board.

“Utilizing those windows when there is a peak interest in your program is strategic and it’s something that we want to make sure we’re nimble enough to do.”

Barnes and company will look for a few more windows as they work toward the goal of selling nearly 54,000 season tickets for the 2016 season. The deadline for season-ticket renewals is March 4, and that will likely bring an influx of sales. The spring game will be held April 16 at Heinz Field, and that event is circled on the calendar. And the mid-May unveiling of Pitt’s new uniforms and branding is also expected to drum up interest - which should lead to more sales despite the season still being four months away.

“It just gets folks’ minds back on football, where a lot of people aren’t used to maybe buying until August,” Barnes said. “We’re trying to evoke that excitement a little early. So whether it’s the unveiling of the Pitt script in May or the spring game in April or any other potential opportunities that we might have or create, those are all things where we’re constantly trying to put football in the minds of our fans who aren’t used to making their determination this early. Or, in some cases, haven’t made it in the past and we’re trying to get them to be first-time season-ticket holders or mini-plan holders.

“Those are all points along the way that can create that enthusiasm.”