Arizona State University officials are hoping facial recognition technology will help ease entry to Mountain America Stadium for ASU students following sold-out games that have seen record student turnout this season.
As reported by Dane Palmer of Cronkite News, ASU will begin using the technology on a trial basis for student ticketing as early as an Oct. 25 game against Houston.
“We feel really confident about it,” senior associate athletic director Mike Meitin, who heads ASU's ticketing and business analytics, said. “As a student, if you enroll in this program, you walk through the gate and walk by the scanner, and it will turn green without ever having to take out your ticket or your phone.”
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By opting into the system, students "scan into the game just with your facial profile — just like how some of the airport stuff is now,” Meitin said.
Arizona State will start with fast lanes for students who opt into the program, and gradually open the system up to all fans, Palmer reported.
Making its first on-field appearance since reaching the College Football Playoff last year, ASU’s game Aug. 30 against Northern Arizona University was the first season-opener to sell out since 1998, and a record 14,280 students showed up to see the defending Big 12 champions.
“We learned a lot from the first game, which we were able to implement in game two,” Meitin said. “That’s the thing we’re most proud of … we managed the lines better, we managed the spaces better, we managed the process better.”
ASU would be among the first college programs to use facial recognition technology as part of its ticketing system, Palmer reported, adding that Florida implemented a similar system in August for its 2025-26 football season.
Related: Gators First In Nation to Roll Out Facial Recognition Tech for Entry
