Georgia Tech's football ticket sales haven't spiked despite the hiring of Paul Johnson to replace Chan Gailey as head coach.

The Yellow Jackets have sold 25,767 season tickets, 271 short of last year's total, associate athletics director Wayne Hogan said last week.

With two weeks left before the Aug. 28 opener, Hogan said Tech expects to reach last year's sales number, give or take a few seats.

No small accomplishment, he added, given the slow economy and a home schedule less attractive than last year's.

Last year, Tech had home games against both Georgia and Clemson. This year, those games are on the road.

"I think with the economy the way it is and the fact we don't have the marquee schedule we might have, it's a darn good [sales] effort," Hogan said.

Despite no spike in sales, Hogan said Johnson's arrival has been well received.

"If this were a case where you had a controlled model where the schedule was the same as last year and the economy the same and you added a new coach, my guess is it spikes a bit," he said. "But you have to factor in those other things.

"I think clearly we will see [sales] grow as each year goes by and Paul gets his system in, his players here and our schedule the way we want it."

Several of Atlanta's pro teams, including the Falcons and Braves, also have cited the slow economy as a challenge in sales. One team not impacted: the Georgia Bulldogs, who have sold out of football season tickets and rejected orders for new seats from customers with less than $10,651 in lifetime contributions to the athletics program.

While still selling season tickets, Tech also has put single-game seats on sale for all seven home games.

After season tickets, student and faculty tickets and opposing-team sales, Tech needs to sell 6,000 to 15,000 tickets on a single-game basis to fill 55,000-seat Bobby Dodd Stadium, Hogan said. The biggest variable is the opposing-team sale, which might range from less than 2,000 for the Gardner-Webb game (Oct. 11) to more than 9,000 for the Florida State game (Nov. 1).

Tech changed its sales strategy this year.

Last year, it offered "flex packs" in which customers could buy tickets to any combination of three games. The much-in-demand Georgia and Clemson games tended to drive sales of the packages.

This year, Tech dropped the "flex packs" and instead offered full season tickets for $150 in the upper-level end-zone seats, down from $250 last year. About 2,200 of the discounted seats — the full inventory — have been sold, Tech said.

The Jackets have continued their initiative, launched last year, to recruit new fans by reaching out to nearby residents who have no previous ties to Tech. That has included direct on-site marketing efforts to residents of Midtown condominium towers.

Hogan said Tech remains committed to that potential market but has no data available on results.

Tech opens its season against Jacksonville State on Aug. 28 at Bobby Dodd Stadium.