2025 Year-End Edition

BRYCE JENSEN THRIVES AT FIRST NFR, WINS ROOKIE RACE By Alex Dodd

O ne of the tightest races in PRORODEO entering the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Dec. 4-13 was the chase for the Resistol Rookie of the Year honor in bull riding. Four rookies, Hudson Bolton, Qynn Andersen, Bryce Jensen and Luke Mackey, qualified for the sport’s signa ture event. The quartet arrived in Las Vegas separated by $40,560 and with go-rounds paying $36,668 at the NFR – no lead was safe at the Thomas & Mack Center. The four Resistol Rookies showed out on the biggest stage, combining for 22 qualified rides, $543,001 in NFR earnings and two round wins. All four finished in the top seven of the NFR average standings. But when the dust settled, Jensen earned the rookie crown, besting Mackey by $94,122. Jensen finished sixth in the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings with $367,533. “I did what I could and tried my best,” Jensen told the PRORODEO Sports News. “It worked out well, and I can’t complain.” Jensen arrived in Las Vegas third in the Resistol Rookie Standings for bull riding, trailing leader Hudson Bolton by $22,435. But he didn’t enter the competition with an underdog mindset.

for a special NFR when he earned the Round 4 win with an 87.5-point ride on Barnes PRCA Rodeo’s Purple Wave’s Karaoke Nights. “Getting the round win got the nerves out of the system and then I just started riding and having fun with it,” Jen sen said. “I wasn’t nervous about it because I got the first one knocked out.” The 20-year-old cowboy from Huntsville, Texas, said finishing atop the pack during a go-round in Las Vegas was more than he could have hoped for. “It was a dream come true to go on the stage and take a victory lap,” he said. “The victory lap was cool. Really cool. I wish I got to do more than one, but there’s always next year.” Jensen started his rodeo career on the timed event side, competing in team roping and tie-down roping. But Bradlee Miller helped convince his family to let him get on bulls in sixth grade. He was supposed to stop riding bulls when he got to high school. But Jensen exceeded expectations and made bull riding his primary event. Jensen hoped to compete for the Resistol Rookie All Around crown this year, but it didn’t quite work out. He hopes to win the Linderman Award before his time in PRORODEO is complete.

“I just trusted in the Lord’s process, let it play out how it’s supposed to and just had fun with it,” Jensen said. “I made it there, so that took the pressure off and allowed me just to go have fun and do my best.” Jensen knew he had a chance

Now, Jensen’s sights are set on replicat ing his success in the 2026 campaign. “I’ll keep continuing to ride how I’ve been

riding and have fun with it,” Jensen said. “The pressure of making your first Finals is gone, so I can just have fun with it now. I know I can do it and I just have to believe in myself.”

Bull rider Bryce Jensen on Legacy Pro Rodeo LLC’s

Trails West’s Angels Landing in Round 6 of the 2025 Wrangler NFR. (PRCA photo by Kathryn Coleman)

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