Tyler Tryan’s rookie year didn’t start off with a bang, but he’s now skyrocketed to No. 2 in the 2024 Resistol Rookie Header of the Year standings as of June 12.

Tyler, the 18-year-old son of three-time world champion Clay Tryan, has $16,609.64 won thus far, just $176.67 behind standings leader Casey Thomas. His rookie year started out slow, having just $4,628 won after the spring California run and Rodeo Killeen (Texas) at the middle of May. But since the start of June, Tyler has raked in $13,468 to make the leap in the standings.

“I haven’t been roping the best lately,” the Lipan, Texas, kid admitted. “Last week went good, but before that I was struggling a little bit. Hopefully I can start turning some more for my partner and keep winning.”

Slow and steady

Tyler got the ball rolling at the Home of the Navajo PRCA Rodeo in Window Rock, Arizona, where he won second and pocketed $3,027. Since then, his momentum picked up quickly, grabbing checks everywhere he entered the week of June 5-8. 

Tyler finished second in the average at the Eagle Rodeo in Eagle, Idaho, taking home $4,315 between the rounds and the average. The Pony Express Rodeo in Eagle Mountain, Utah, added to his standings with a $254 check, and he added $1,727 from the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show in Union, Oregon. Tyler’s single biggest check of 2024 thus far came from Sisters Rodeo in Oregon where he finished second with a 5.5-second run for $4,145.

What might be even more impressive about Tyler’s recent climb is that he did it with the help of fellow Resistol Rookie of the Year candidates Logan Moore and Denton Dunning. 

Tyler started the year with Moore, the reigning College National Finals champion, and will rope with him all summer. Arizona’s Dunning paired up with Tyler for the June 5-8, rodeos, as well as the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo in Vernal, Utah, June 13-15.

While Tyler’s been well exposed to the rodeo road, there’s still things he’s learning about rodeoing professionally since he hit the road.

“I really don’t know much about it, but I know you have to drive a lot,” Tyler said with a laugh. “I don’t like that, but I’m going to have to get used to it, I guess. And the entering—the entering is what I’ve had to learn the most on. I call a lot of people and try to get help from them and they help me. It’s really helpful.”

Young Gun

At just 18 years old, Tyler wasted no time buying his PRCA card and going for his rookie year. But as someone who’s grown up around it his entire life, how could he not?

“When you’re growing up, you always want to be as good as you can be, as fast as possible,” Tyler explained. “But these guys are really good out here, so I’m still trying to get better. I felt like I was better off to buy my card instead of rodeoing on my permit all year. I feel like if you win enough, you can get into the winter rodeos and have a better chance next year to do good.”

Tyler wants to get the most out of his rookie season. While he recognizes the prestige behind the Resistol Rookie of the Year title, he doesn’t check the standings often, as his top priority for 2024 is getting into the 2025 winter rodeos and becoming a better roper.

“I guess you could say I’m trying to just get high enough in the standings to get into the winter rodeos,” Tyler said. “My end goal is just to win as much as I can, really, and get better while we’re out here.”

Tryan Family Tradition

The Tryan family name needs no introduction as their rodeo roots run deep. And while Tyler is proud to be a Tryan, he’s also looking to make a name for himself.

“My dad has always rodeoed, my uncles, my grandma, my grandpa and my mom even used to rope,” Tyler said. “I’ve just always been around it and roped ever since I’ve been a little kid. It can be [special], but I also just look at my individual self a little bit, too. I try to do my own thing.”

Regardless, Tyler knows how lucky he is to have a 20-time NFR header as his dad and always welcomes Clay’s advice and rodeo insight.

“He’s always calling me asking how I do and stuff,” Tyler said of his dad. “I talk to him every day out here. He’s always wanting to know what horse of his I’m going to ride. We talk a lot, and he helps me out on what horses I should ride when and where and what the setup is going to be like.”

Tyler also has two of Clay’s horses on the road with him: a sorrel gelding named Johnson, and a yellow gelding they call Butter.

“I’m riding all my dad’s horses right now and he took my horse this summer to ride at the amateur rodeos,” Tyler explained. “I took his old sorrel horse that he’s had forever that’s really good, and I got a younger yellow horse of his out here, too, that’s just a little bit greener, but he’s really good.”