No. 15 | $111,672
Age: 33
Hometown: Ocala, Florida (now lives in Stephenville, Texas)
Career earnings: $1,043,178
NFR Qualifications: 4 (2022-2025)
Major rodeos: La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros (Tucson, Arizona), Gem State Stampede (Coeur D’ Alene, Idaho), California Rodeo Salinas, Pendleton Round-Up (Oregon), San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo (Texas).
Star Horsepower: Wood Ya Chula (Paycheck); Reysin Cats (Roger); Biggie; Lynx Dancin Rooster
Rope Choice: Classic Powerline Lite M
Jonathan Torres’ now four NFR qualifications are the story of patience and persistence.
In 2018, the Florida native came within striking distance of his first NFR, finishing 19th in the world. He finished 31st and 30th in 2019 and 2020 and, in 2022, finally got over the NFR hump.
Torres kicked off that 2022 winter with the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo win, heeling behind now two-time NFR header Lightning Aguilera for $21,500 a man.
“It’s like a dream come true really,” Torres said after the win in 2022. “It feels good to see some results. It’s not like weight off your shoulders forever, but it feels like we’re doing the right stuff. My brother and I have been practicing every day and it’s paying off.”
Torres spent a strong portion of the year inside the top 10 well into the summer before finding himself on the bubble. Then came his second prestigious win of the year, this time with his brother Joshua: the Pendleton Round-Up.
The Torres brothers won the average with a total time of 19.1 seconds on three head and pocketed $15,189 apiece that week to push Torres inside the Top 15, a spot that held through the end of the season.
After numerous top 40 finishes that left them just short of their first Finals qualification, the Torres brothers credited two-time World Champ Kaleb Driggers with helping them elevate their game.
“Driggers came over to the house when we were supposed to be looking at some steers, and he was early so we were killing time. He said, ‘Do you trust me? I said ‘Definitely.’ Torres said, ‘Josh slow down.’ So Josh slowed down, and it helped my horses. We’re more fundamentally correct. Driggers said we both needed to slow down, and we’d be faster. Our horses felt better, and it was easier to catch more steers fast. Our horses got more honest and not thinking about the play before it happened. That advice helped a lot.”
Torres went on to qualify for the 2023 NFR after roping with 2021 NFR Coy Rahlmann, who he picked up the coveted California Rodeo Salinas win with. But it came down to the wire for Torres, and he did some major climbing at the end of the season to nab a spot at the inaugural Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where round money locked him in for another trip to the Thomas & Mack. Torres heeled for Nelson Wyatt, and they picked up the win in Round 10.
Torres’ 2024 season marked his third consecutive NFR qualification. He and Derrick Begay placed in three rounds inside the Thomas & Mack and finished second in the NFR average with 65.1 seconds on nine head, earning $113,778 in Las Vegas.
Now 33, Torres has kept the momentum rolling in 2025. He enters the Finals No. 15 in the heeling world standings with $111,672 won on the year and will rope behind three-time NFR header Kolton Schmidt. Not only will this be Torres’ fourth trip to Las Vegas but also his fourth time making it without his regular season partner.
“To finish the year like this without my partner isn’t the greatest,” Torres said. “Change, to me, is not what you want. I know Kolton will do his job. I don’t love it for Nelson because we’re a good team and I don’t like him being left out. But him still going with me toward the end to give me a chance is a big deal. He’s doing everything he can for the team as well. Nelson and I are 100% in for the future, but making it this year without him, it doesn’t make me feel accomplished, and maybe that’s selfish. I don’t like being this guy by no means. It’s been one rodeo each year that it’s been like this. I can only tell myself I have to worry about doing my job now going in.”
More with Jonathan Torres
- Jake Smith and Jonathan Torres Win 2024 Wilderness Circuit Titles
- The Paycheck That’s Paying Dividends for Jonathan Torres
- Bouncing Back: Rahlmann, Torres Get 2023 Salinas Win
- The Short Score: Rahlmann and Torres Win Salinas
- Riding High for a Fast Shot With Jonathan Torres
- Pendleton Win Puts Jonathan Torres in Top 15
- Staying Hooked: Jonathan Torres Talks Top 15 & Cowboy Christmas Run
