Heads Above: First Look at Top 2025 Resistol Rookie Headers

You're only a rookie once (YORO)

Take a look at the top three Resistol Rookie Headers and see who else is in the mix further down the list.

The calendar may say that the 2025 ProRodeo season is a month past the halfway point but veterans and rookies both know that the bulk of the money to be won is still waiting during the three months of summer.

For the rookies, they are lining up their schedules, partners and horses to prepare for their first “summer run” and chasing perhaps the most elusive of all rodeo titles: Resistol Rookie of the Year.

Each cowboy has just one chance in his career to claim the title and it’s proven fact that many past winners go on to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and many World Champs started out with Rookie titles.

As the race gets set to begin in earnest, here’s how the chase looks for the 2025 Resistol Rookie headers so far.

No. 1 Devon Johnson

Red Oak, Texas, header Devon Johnson taught himself to rope at an early age.

“My mom always had horses and I grew up riding,” Johnson, 26, said. “Mom and I learned to rope together and we roped a lot together in the low number ropings when I was younger.”

At 15 years old, Johnson decided that he wanted to make roping his career and so far, that plan is working well as he says everything he owns has been bought with his rope.

Johnson has parlayed success as a permit holder into a strong start to his ProRodeo rookie season in 2025.

Last year, Johnson claimed both the Permit Finals championship in Waco, Texas and the Permit Challenge title out in Las Vegas, Nevada during the NFR while roping with Coloradan Cody Lansing.

“I made the Texas Circuit Finals on my permit last year and won the UPRA year end title,” Johnson noted. “I made all these goals that I set out for myself so I decided to take the next step and go for the rookie title.”

Roping with NFR qualifier Boogie Ray, the two-time College National Finalist has had two big wins already, winning the Walker County Fair & Pro Rodeo in Huntsville, Texas and the Playoff Series stop in Redmond, Oregon in back-to-back weekends to close out March and start April.

Johnson opted to skip the California Run this spring and roped at the recently concluded Resistol Rookie Roundup held at Cowtown Coliseum in the historic Fort Worth (TX) Stockyards.

Roping with Zane Pratt, Johnson placed in two rounds, advancing all the way to the event-ending Shootout Round.

“It’s a tough setup,” Johnson said. “We went for first and it didn’t work out but we won some and every little bit helps.”

Johnson’s lead in the standings is about $2,500 as he has already won nearly $15,000.

No. 2 Riley Kittle is keeping close

Riley Kittle is hanging close with the leaders as well. Like Arviso, Kittle ventured to California from his Stephenville, Texas home. Though Clovis wasn’t kind to Kittle and partner Landen Glenn, they did win money up the mountain in Springville and picked up a round win last weekend in Red Bluff to hold strong in second.

No. 3 James Arviso is closing fast

Arizona cowboy James Arviso went west to California instead of hitting the rookie only event, and made the decision pay over the long score, muley roping in Clovis.

Roping with fellow rookie sensation Nicky Northcott in Clovis, Arviso won the stacked short round to move to fourth in the average and pocket $4,235, closing the gap between him and Johnson to just a bit over $3,000.

Northcott is set to partner up with storied roper Clay Smith starting in Guymon, Oklahoma. Ariviso plans to jump in with Logan Moore.

The Rest of the Rookie Heading field

With lucrative payouts coming up, anyone inside or outside the top 10 in the current standings is still in this race and guys like fourth ranked Charles Graham and fifth ranked Britton Grinstead are just a couple good checks from overtaking the leaders.

Charles of Emmett, Arkansas, won good circuit rodeos in Lake Charles, Louisiana and Perry, Georgia over the winter and picked up some money at the Rookie Roundup too as did Grinstead, who spent the winter rodeoing around the Prairie Circuit.