Tennessee football continues to climb recruiting rankings for the class of 2025.

After securing recent commitments from four-star safety Lagonza Hayward, four-star tight end De’Saahn Brame and three-star offensive lineman Darrion Smith, the Vols have climbed into the top ten of 247Sports’ recruiting rankings for the class of 2025. With 20 commitments, Tennessee currently holds the No. 6 spot in the nation for the 2025 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

The Vols’ 2025 recruiting cycle began with a bang in January with the commitment of four-star quarterback George MacIntyre. Since then, the Volunteers have strengthened their recruiting class by securing commitments from over ten four-star prospects, including wide receiver Travis Smith Jr., edge rusher Mariyon Dye, and Douglas Utu, the No. 2 interior offensive lineman in the nation according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

Tennessee has an opportunity to strengthen its 2025 recruiting class even more as David Sanders Jr., the No. 1 ranked offensive tackle in the class of 2025 according to 247Sports, nears his decision. Sanders is deciding between Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia, and Nebraska, with his official commitment announcement scheduled for August 17.

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As Tennessee prepares for today’s primary elections, all eyes are on Democratic State Rep. Gloria Johnson’s bid for the U.S. Senate and MAGA darling Andy Ogles’ fight to retain his U.S. House seat.

Gloria Johnson vs. Marsha Blackburn

Gloria Johnson, who is ahead in fundraising and has led in some polls, is already targeting incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn.

Her campaign has been fueled by the momentum she gained after narrowly surviving an expulsion effort by Tennessee’s Republican House supermajority in 2023. The expulsion attempt came after she joined two Democratic colleagues in a gun control protest following the tragic Covenant School shooting.

More: Johnson, Bradshaw vie for Democratic US Senate nomination, seek to push party ahead

Johnson’s defiance resonated nationally, drawing support from high-profile figures like Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden. Now, Johnson aims to convert this support into voter turnout and challenge the GOP’s longstanding dominance within the state.

“This is doable, folks,” Johnson said. “In 2018, Marsha Blackburn won by 200,000 votes. We know there are 300,000 Democratic voters who haven’t voted in the last few cycles. We get those folks to the polls, we win this race.”

Johnson’s campaign has raised over $5 million thus far, with over $2 million on hand. She believes that with sufficient funding, Tennessee’s relatively inexpensive media markets could help flip the Senate seat.

Despite the enthusiasm, the challenge remains steep. No Democrat has won a statewide race in Tennessee since 2006. Johnson is counting on the political energy from the “Tennessee Three” incident to drive an unprecedented Democratic turnout.

More Democratic hopefuls emerge

Marquita Bradshaw and Civil Miller-Watkins are also contenders in the Democratic primary.

Bradshaw is drawing on her experience from her 2020 Senate campaign. In 2020, Bradshaw made history as the first African American woman to win a major political party nomination in Tennessee’s statewide races and currently serves as the executive director of Sowing Justice, an environmental and political organization.

Meanwhile, Civil Miller-Watkins is a middle-school teacher who currently serves as secretary of the TN Democratic County Chairs Association. She has strong ties with the NAACP and previously served as chair of the Fayette County Democratic Party.

MAGA darling Andy Ogles looks to retain U.S. House seat

In Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, Trump-endorsed Andy Ogles faces a primary challenge from Nashville Metro Council member Courtney Johnston, who is viewed as more moderate.

With $500,000 in cash on hand, Johnston has outpaced Ogles, who reported only $95,000 earlier this month. “We’re taking nothing for granted,” Ogles told Punchbowl News. “We’re being outspent, but we’re working harder. We’ve got the grassroots and our polling looks good. You never take your foot off the gas.”

Despite Ogles’ optimism, concerns among his allies are growing. The far-right Freedom Caucus is reeling from Chair Rep. Bob Good’s exceedingly slender loss in the June primary – less than 400 votes. Virginia’s 5th Congressional District is still amid a recount, but if Good falls short, he would become the first House Freedom Caucus chairman to lose reelection.

Ogles, who aims to chair the caucus, has faced scrutiny over his campaign finances and alleged resume embellishments. Reports indicate Ogles had to correct his FEC filings to reflect a $20,000 loan to his campaign, not the previously reported $320,000. Additionally, local news has raised questions about discrepancies in his educational and business credentials.

Johnston has capitalized on these controversies, portraying herself as a champion of good governance and contrasting her candidacy with Ogles’ purported headline-chasing. 

Ogles has introduced numerous bills throughout his congressional tenure, though none have passed the committee. More recently, he introduced a measure to impeach Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Jeremy Yurow is a politics reporting fellow based in Hawaii for the USA TODAY Network. You can reach him at JYurow@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter @JeremyYurow

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As a news organization that exclusively covers politics and policy, the staff of the Tennessee Lookout lives for Election Days like Thursday’s primary. To use a sports analogy, it’s not quite the Super Bowl — that comes on the Nov. 5 federal election — but it’s at least the AFC and NFC championship games. 

We’ll give you the lowdown on top of the ticket races, like the four-way Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate and the only contested congressional primary, the race between well-funded Metro Councilmember Courtney Johnston and first-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles. 

Even for a statewide news outlet like the Lookout, covering every down-ballot race — 23 contested state House races and eight contested Senate races — is impossible. So we’ll be looking at the most competitive of each and the issues influencing the election. 

We’d like to share our game plan for covering the election with you, and give you an overview of what you can expect from us. 

School vouchers

After Gov. Bill Lee’s universal private school voucher plan failed during the last legislative session, he announced he would try again in the upcoming session. As Adam Friedman has reported, several national pro-voucher organizations have spent millions in “dark money” — the groups use a governing structure that allows them to hide who many of their donors are — to back incumbents and candidates favorable to vouchers. 

Gov. Bill Lee

Lee has endorsed a host of pro-voucher incumbents and candidates, but the outcome of those races will be as much of a referendum on Lee as on vouchers. 

Of particular note is the House 65 race, Lee’s home district in Williamson County. The governor has endorsed political newcomer Lee Reeves, who favors vouchers and has received nearly $1 million in outside support from voucher groups. Williamson County has the best public school system in the state, a reason many families live there. 

Brian Beathard, a four-term county commissioner backed by retiring Rep. Sam Whitson and a host of other Republican elected officials, has been less than full-throated in his views on vouchers, but a win by Beathard would be a loss for Lee’s credibility. 

Hot Senate races

Gallatin Sen. Ferrell Haile is leaning into conservative talking points as he tries to beat back a challenge from Chris Spencer, co-founder of the Sumner County Constitutional Republicans. Haile’s ads highlight immigration issues, which have little practical impact on Tennessee voters but appeal to the Republican base. 

All political eyes are on the East Tennessee matchup between Sen. Jon Lundberg and first-time candidate Bobby Harshbarger, nephew of 1st District U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, a Trump loyalist. The issue doesn’t appear to be school vouchers: Lundberg negotiated the Senate version of Lee’s plan. 

The Lundberg-Harshbarger race has been one of the most hostile of the election cycle. 

Meanwhile, in House races . . .

One of the more interesting primaries on the House side is the contest between GOP Rep. Patsy Hazlewood of Signal Mountain and challenger Michelle Reneau, a Constitutional Republican. 

Democrats also have a few primaries in play, including the race in Memphis to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Dwayne Thompson in District 96. Gabby Salinas, who lost to former Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey by about 1%, has been endorsed by Thompson. But in a five-way, low turnout primary, she’s not a shoo-in. 

• Nashville’s House District 60 features a match-up between Shaundelle Brooks, a longtime gun safety advocate who came to politics after her son was murdered in a 2018 mass shooting at Nashville Waffle House, and neighborhood activist Tyler Brasher. The race has engendered bad blood between supporters of both candidates, as accusations of racism have been thrown — Brooks is Black — and questions raised about financial disclosures. 

• In Knoxville, Rep. Sam McKenzie, chair of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators, will try to beat back a challenge from former Knox County Commissioner Dasha Lundy, who has received support from school voucher organizations.

Of course, there are other races we’ll cover. While we can’t get to them all, we promise to do our best to bring you fast and accurate coverage on the winners that will shape Tennessee policy over the next few years. 

See you on Election Day.