When Marcus Theriot and Wyatt Cox collected their 2025 Rodeo Austin branding irons March 29, after winning the average with a 13.9 on three head, the moment marked a triumphant end to a nightmare day.
“It was definitely a bittersweet win at Austin,” Theriot, 27, said. “I know that’s a huge rodeo. I had won it years ago, and that was one of the bigger wins of my career, for sure. To be able to win it again, it was just kind of the cream of the day with the day we had had. How we were able to finish that day off was pretty cool.”
The Rodeo Austin short round happened to fall on the day of the Feist at the BFI, and what unfolded that Saturday was unlike anyone could have imagined. At the start of their second-round run of the Feist, Theriot’s head horse—two-time World Champion Kaleb Driggers’ Chevy—unexplainably went down and was hauled out of the famous Lazy E Arena. Pushing the traumatizing accident to the back of their minds for the next three runs plus the run they’d later make in Austin was no easy feat. But after an already chaotic start to Austin, California’s Cox had a feeling the win—worth $6,660 apiece—was meant to be.
“That’s what I even told Marcus after the second one—after it fouled his rope up—I said, ‘I think that we’re meant to win something here,’” Cox, 29, said. “That’s how it feels, with the first one me getting an inside leg and when I dally it comes back clean. And then the second one, we tried to mess him up and Marcus’s rope fell on a neck. Just one of those deals where God was going to make sure we won something.”
That win also closes out their partnership and sends NFR header Theriot back to Mississippi on a high note. While Theriot now sits No. 7 in the PRCA world standings with $37,254.98 and Cox No. 10 with $26,424.06, Theriot is taking a hiatus from the NFR dreams and focusing on the circuit front.
“I’m just really tired of going,” Theriot admitted. “I’ve never been home since I was about 13 or 14 during the summer, and I don’t really have any great horses right now. I’m just kind of ready for a year off—take a break for a little while. I love being home. I’ve never really just been crazy about staying away from home. It’s just always been kind of the price you pay if you want to make the Finals and want to have a career doing it.”
Chaos in Austin
The road to the Austin win was bumpy from the start for Theriot and Cox. As the first team out of the entire rodeo in Austin on March 15, Theriot and Cox were also wrapping up their Super Series at RodeoHouston that same day. Once they ran their steer in the 2:45 p.m. matinee, they loaded up and raced to Austin for the 7 p.m. performance.
“I pulled in, best photo finish of my life, and I’ve had a lot of good ones I thought,” Theriot said with a laugh. “We pulled in, me and Amber (Theriot’s girlfriend) threw the saddle on my horse, I loped him up there, I stepped off, Wyatt pinned my back number on, Buddy Hawkins put the boots on my horse and they were calling for the first four teams, pretty much.”
Theriot knew their steer from La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros, but Tucson and Austin are two very different setups, so it was hard to know what to expect. Their 4.3-second run set the pace, and they ended up winning sixth in the round for $1,544 a man.
Their odd luck was just beginning, however, and in Round 2 the barrier flipped the tail of Theriot’s rope into his loop. Despite nearly heading him too deep, they set themselves up for a good spot in the short round with a 4.5-second run to put them 8.8 on two head and high call.
After roping their fifth-round steer at the Feist in Guthrie March 29, Theriot and Cox were back on the clock, jetting to Austin—literally. With roughly eight other guys, Theriot and Cox caught a charter plane out of Oklahoma at 5:45 p.m., landing in the Lone Star State at 6:50 p.m. for the 7 p.m. short round.
“Garrett Tonozzi ran our steer with Josh Patton in the first round, I think, and he wasn’t just a loper,” Cox said. “Marcus hit the barrier, and he was still kind of trying and stepping left away from me toward the wall, so I pushed the envelope a little bit. Marcus did a great job, but I was definitely trying to get it done and over with before we got in the fence.”
A 5.1 pocketed them $1,500 a man in the round and closed the deal on their average win. All in all they pocketed $9,704 a man.
Farewell
Theriot is clearly having another great winter season, but it isn’t swaying the him from his decision to focus on the home front the rest of 2025.
“To me, having a good winter is definitely beneficial, but once you start in June, a good winter ain’t going to save you,” Theriot said. “You’re going to have to have good horses, and you’re going to have to rope good and have a good year. Used to with $40,000, I only needed $25,000 or $30,000 more. But the way it is now, $80,000 I’m going to be right there not comfortable.”
Theriot will head for longtime friend Chase Graves in the Southeastern Circuit, hopeful to set himself up for when he is ready to hit the road hard again.
“I would like to win the circuit, and I love the winter rodeos,” Theriot said. “That’s going to be my biggest regret is if I don’t get in through the new year next year. I love Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Denver; I like all of them. I would really like to win the circuit so I can go to the NFR Open next year and hopefully get into the good winter rodeos through the new year. And if things go right next year—if I’ve got the horses and the sponsors and all that—then I’m not saying I’m never going to rodeo again.”
As for Cox, the Clark County Fair & Rodeo in Logandale, Nevada, will kickstart his new partnership with 2022 NFR header Lightning Aguilera April 13. After experiencing his fair share of bubble seasons, Cox isn’t getting too worked up over a good start on the season.
“Last year I thought was one of my best winters ever, and this year I’m pretty sure I’ve done a little bit better as far as money won,” Cox said. “But last year I came up short, and that’s why I haven’t really looked at the standings or anything because I’m going to try to keep my head down until about August, and then I’ll start worrying about it.”
