A fresh batch of Resistol Rookie of the Year contenders hit the ProRodeo trail in 2025, and they’re already making waves in the fight. Many, if not all, of the rookies will head out for the summer, trying to take home of the most prestigious awards the PRCA has to offer.
From second-generation superstars to late-blooming breakout talents, this year’s Resistol Rookie race is stacked with rising headers and heelers who are racking up big momentum as the summer kicks off.
2025 Heading Resistol Rookie of the Year contenders
No. 1: Devon Johnson | $14,815.52 | Red Oak, Texas
While 26-year-old Johnson didn’t come from a rodeo background, his future in the sport looks bright as he leads the Resistol Rookie of the Year heading standings. Johnson is currently roping with 2003 NFR qualifier Boogie Ray, and the two picked up the win at the Crockett Lions Club PRCA Rodeo May 8-10, in Texas for $1,022 a man, as well as the win at the High Desert Stampede in Redmond, Oregon, April 3-5, for $3,884 apiece. Johnson also pocketed $1,136 at the Resistol Rookie Roundup in April, heading for Zane Pratt.
No. 2: James Arviso | $14,213.57 | Winslow, Arizona
James Arviso is carrying on a family legacy, adding to the list of talented team ropers to come from the Navajo Nation. The nephew of 11-time NFR header and 2023 NFR champion Derrick Begay, this 21-year-old made a name for himself early with the 2022 NHSFR title, the same year he won second at the BFI. In 2024, he captured the CNFR title for Hill College and won the Patriot Reno Open, adding to a growing list of major wins. So far in his Resistol Rookie season, Arviso won the short round and took fourth in the average for a total $4,481 at California’s Clovis Rodeo in April.
READ: Young Gun James Arviso is Making a Name for Himself
No. 3: Riley Kittle | $12,305.46 | Stephenville, Texas
Riley Kittle had a breakout year in 2022, picking up the CNFR title in June, followed by his share of $162,000 for the win Priefert #14.5 Finale win at the Ariat World Series of Team Roping Finale. Since then, the now 23-year-old has continued to prove he belongs, winning the 2023 WCRA Rodeo Corpus Christi. Kittle kicked off his Resistol Rookie season tying the arena record with a round win at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo this February. He also won the first round of the Red Bluff Roundup in California this April for $2,307.
No. 4: Logan Graham | $8,672.81 | Emmet, Arkansas
Logan Graham rodeoed for Southern Arkansas University where he qualified for the CNFR. The 26-year-old is a Southeastern Circuit header and has picked up the win at the 2025 Georgia National Rodeo in Perry for $2,721. He also pocketed $1,156 for a second-place finish in the first round of the Resistol Rookie Roundup.
No. 5: Gabe Williams | $7,478.47 | Comanche, Texas
The Williams last name needs no introduction, and Gabe is working on following in his father’s footsteps. Son of eight-time World Champion Speed Williams, Gabe kicked off his Resistol Rookie season winning the Resistol Rookie Roundup for a total of $3,309. Gabe primarily heeled growing up and just recently made the switch to the head side. Gabe’s first rodeo of the 2025 season (and his PRCA career) was the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, where he filled his PRCA permit on the first steer he ever ran in the pros, heading for his NFR switch-ender dad.
2025 Heeling Resistol Rookie of the Year contenders
No. 1: Nicky Northcott | $18,104.18 | Stephenville, Texas
Team roping fans have pretty much been waiting to see young phenom Nicky Northcott hit the ProRodeo ranks, and the day has finally come. The 18-year-old is the son of 1996 World Champion Heeler and 10-time NFR qualifier Steve Northcott and has been in the spotlight since nearly his dummy roping days. Now roping with two-time World Champion Header Clay Smith, Northcott entered the ProRodeo ranks with serious momentum—winning three of his first nine rodeos. A standout at major Open Ropings like the BFI, he also notched wins at the Lone Star Shootout, Danny Dietz Memorial and Priefert Ranch Open this spring. Northcott’s long and growing résumé also includes qualifying for The American Rodeo and winning the Ram $100,000 Bonus Event #10.5 at the 2019 USTRC Cinch National Finals of Team Roping.
No. 2: Jace Helton | $14,428.99 | Tolar, Texas
Jace Helton is another familiar face even as a Resistol Rookie of the Year contender. The 22-year-old landed on everyone’s radar when he won the 2022 CNFR with Resistol Rookie Riley Kittle, and the duo struck again winning WCRA Rodeo Corpus Christi in 2023. Helton won the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo in 2024 while still on his permit, roping with three-time NFR qualifier Shay Carroll. In 2025, he pocketed $3,547 for a second-place finish in Odessa and a $2,300-round win in Fort Worth.
No. 3: Bryce Graves | $12,684.33 | Poplarville, Mississippi
Son of three-time NFR qualifier and 2002 Olympic Command Performance Rodeo bronze medalist Frank Graves, Bryce hit the national stage in 2019 winning the NHSFR. In 2022, as a permit holder, Bryce won the Southeastern Circuit Finals Rodeo. In his rookie season, the 23-year-old won the first round of the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo with Chet Weitz for $2,484 a man.
No. 4: Gus Mosley | $11,187.73 | Mineral Wells, Texas
Gus Mosley is a 20-year-old Great Lakes Circuit qualifier, now sitting fourth in the 2025 Resistol Rookie Heeler of the Year race. Mosley, who runs GM Performance Horses, won the 2023 ARHFA Intermediate Heeling World Championship on Rufs Gunner Man, worth $20,000. This year, Mosley won the second round in Odessa for $1,943, and he also won second in the first round of the Resistol Rookie Roundup for $1,156.
No. 5: Faron Candelaria | $9,531.75 | Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico
While on his PRCA permit, Faron Candelaria helped Shad Mayfield secure the 2024 all-around world title by heeling behind him at key rodeos. He’s now chasing the 2025 Resistol Rookie Heeler of the Year title, and he won the Rookie Roundup for $3,309. Candelaria runs his own federal contracting business, Eagle Mountain Enterprises, from his hometown of Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico.
