Braylon Tryan made the most of his one shot at the Resistol Rookie Heeler of the Year title, earning $71,486.90 in his first full ProRodeo season to claim the 2026 honor and finish No. 34 in the PRCA world standings.
The 18-year-old from Lipan, Texas, finished $19,508.28 ahead of runner-up Trey White, who earned $51,978.62, adding his name to the list of successes that the Tryan family has had over the years.
“I think everyone expects to win it—I know I did,” Tryan said. “I feel like when you buy your card, you feel like you think you should.”
The title was something Tryan wanted from the beginning, but it wasn’t the only goal he had in mind.
“It was great to win,” Tryan said. “You only get one chance at it, so that makes it pretty special to win. Obviously, I wanted to make the NFR, but other than that, it is a pretty special title to have.”
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Slow Start to a Rookie Title
Tryan’s first season on the road was far from smooth sailing, particularly when the summer run got underway.
After starting the year roping with his dad, three-time world champion Clay, and winning checks at Belton, Texas, and Logandale, Nevada, Braylon hit the road with Cyle Denison, and the start wasn’t the best.
Cowboy Christmas proved to be a turning point for Tryan and Denison, who won the Oakley Independence Day Rodeo in Utah with a 4.5-second run worth $7,526 apiece.
“We won Oakley—that was biggest rodeo I’ve won rodeoing yet,” Tryan said. “Then we caught quite a few, placed at some big rodeos and just won a little bit here and there. We didn’t do great, but we did pretty good over the fourth, that helped out a lot.”
The Fourth of July run helped Tryan gain ground in the rookie race, but he still had plenty of competition, particularly from White, who kept the title within reach throughout the summer.
Tryan and Denison continued rodeoing together until after Ellensburg, Washington, when Denison headed home. Rather than finding another partner to finish out the regular season, Tryan called up his dad to help him finish the year out.
“He told me good job,” Tryan said of his dad’s reaction to the title. “We started roping at the end of the year, so he went quite a bit. He was trying to help me win it because I didn’t just have a huge lead for a while. And then he went to all the places to help me out to win it. So that was pretty cool because he didn’t have to be out there, but he was doing it for me.”
Keeping It in the Family
For Braylon, having his dad heading for him was nothing new. The two spent three years amateur rodeoing together before he bought his card.
Still, the transition came with its own challenges.
“It’s definitely different out there,” Tryan said. “It’s almost like restarting when you start ProRodeoing—everything’s different and you’re not close to the house. But it was pretty cool to get to rope with (Clay)—he’s still got it.”
Braylon’s rookie title also came during a milestone season for his older brother, Tyler, who qualified for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2026 after claiming the 2024 Resistol Rookie Header of the Year title.
For the Tryan family, the 2026 season brought another rookie title and a first NFR qualification, with Braylon planning to be in Las Vegas to watch his brother compete.
“It’s been a great year watching him make it,” Braylon said. “Especially through everything he’s had to go through, cutting him off at 15 and then making it at a young age, you don’t really see that very much and I’m glad to get to go watch him for 10 days.”
The Thomas & Mack will be full of familiar faces for Braylon, including Tyler, Nicky Northcott, James Arviso, Ketch Kelton and Denton Dunning.
“It’s pretty cool because I’m friends with all of them,” Tryan said. “So getting to see them go is… I mean, if I didn’t make it, I’d want them to make it.”
Pedal Down in 2027
Although the rookie title was a highlight of his first full season, Tryan learned plenty about the realities of the ProRodeo trail.
He left home in June and didn’t return until late September. Between the long drives and being gone, he found ways to enjoy his time off, particularly on the golf course.
Now, Tryan is looking ahead to 2027 with a new partner and the same goal that was on his mind heading into his rookie season: qualifying for the NFR.
Tryan plans to rope with Denton Parish, a fellow Resistol Rookie contender during the 2026 season. The two have already teamed up at Lubbock, Texas, and plan to rope together at the World Series of Team Roping Finale in Las Vegas before beginning the 2027 rodeo season.
With one full year of it behind him, Tryan believes the experience will make a difference when he and Parish start chasing their first NFR qualification together.
“That’s our goal,” Tryan said of his trip to the little yellow arena. “Now we’ll be in our second year, so we’ll know more of the scenarios and where to go to and how everything’s set up. I’m pretty excited—he ropes great and I’m ready for it.”