While the heading field for the 2025 NFR is unofficially set, the PRCA heeling battle is still alive going into Sunday, Sept. 28, with five guys fighting for the last three spots inside the Top 15.
The last full week of the 2025 ProRodeo season was busy with rodeos from Utah to California and Texas to South Dakota for the Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls where only 12 teams qualified. Former bubble teams like Luke Brown and Trey Yates capitalized at the start of Sioux Falls to solidify their spots inside the Top 15. As of Sept. 28, Nicky Northcott, Kaden Profili, Jonathan Torres, Wyatt Cox and Douglas Rich are the bubble heelers who have a shot at the NFR, each with one rodeo left to round out the year.
Their final bullets?
- San Bernardino, California
- Stephenville, Texas
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Sioux Falls is guaranteed to pay $32,000 apiece to the winning team, $24,000 a man to second, $16,000 apiece to third and $8,000 a man to fourth, as well as $4,000 apiece to the 5th-8th teams in the Semifinals who do not advance to the Finals. With Rich advancing to the Semifinals, he is guaranteed at least another $4,000. Following the PRCA Rulebook and prorodeo.org, Stephenville is unofficially estimated to pay $2,561 a man to the winning team, and San Bernardino $4,522 a man.
As the anticipation builds, we tracked where the guys on the bubble roped the last week, what they won and where they still have left to rope.
*Final rodeos based off PRCA daysheets.*
Nicky Northcott
- *Sioux Falls, SD (Sept. 26-28)*: Did not advance to the Semifinals.
- Pasadena, TX (Sept. 22): NT
- *Stephenville, TX (Sept. 28):
Jonathan Torres
- Poway, CA (Sept. 27): NT
- *San Bernardino, CA (Sept. 28):
Kaden Profili
- Pasadena, TX (Sept. 24): 4.1 for $2,169 a man
- Poway, CA (Sept. 26): NT
- Stephenville, TX(Sept. 26): 9.2
- *San Bernardino, CA (Sept. 28):
Wyatt Cox
- Mona, UT (Sept. 24): 3.8 for first, $2,129 a man
- Pasadena, TX (Sept. 25): 3.5 for first, $2,836 a man
- Poway, CA (Sept. 27): NT
- *San Bernardino, CA (Sept. 28):
Douglas Rich
- *Sioux Falls, SD (Sept. 26-28)*: In for the Semifinals, meaning they are guaranteed at least $4,000 apiece.
- Pasadena, TX (Sept. 22): 10.4
- Mona, UT (Sept. 24): NT
2025 Projected PRCA world standings
**These world standings are as of midnight Sept. 27, following Round 2 in Sioux Falls and the conclusion of Poway, Mona and Bakersfield. These are The Team Roping Journal’s calculations, so nothing is official. **
| 1 | Kaleb Driggers | $166,497.52 |
| 2 | Derrick Begay | $163,849.59 |
| 3 | Dustin Egusquiza | $160,703.39 |
| 4 | Tanner Tomlinson | $159,807.31 |
| 5 | Clay Smith | $158,489.89 |
| 6 | Clint Summers | $157,241.21 |
| 7 | Andrew Ward | $145,054.75 |
| 8 | Tyler Wade | $143,366.47 |
| 9 | Dawson Graham | $127,934.51 |
| 10 | Cyle Denison | $126,002.97 |
| 11 | Riley Minor | $125,025.27 |
| 12 | Luke Brown | $119,302.72 |
| 13 | Kolton Schmidt | $118,895.30 |
| 14 | Jake Smith | $117,537.53 |
| 15 | Lightning Aguilera | $116,864.30 |
| 16 | Aaron Tsinigine | $109,712.40 |
| 17 | Brenten Hall | $106,004.67 |
| 18 | Shay Dixon Carroll | $104,593.66 |
| 19 | Tyler Tryan | $102,352.33 |
| 20 | J.C. Yeahquo | $100,348.58 |
| 1 | Junior Nogueira | $166,497.52 |
| 2 | Colter Todd | $163,849.59 |
| 3 | Levi Lord | $158,322.08 |
| 4 | Jade Corkill | $157,566.43 |
| 5 | Travis Graves | $149,918.88 |
| 6 | Wesley Thorp | $143,366.47 |
| 7 | Jake Long | $143,308.20 |
| 8 | Dillon Graham | $127,934.53 |
| 9 | Lane Mitchell | $127,032.49 |
| 10 | Coleby Payne | $125,293.46 |
| 11 | Brady Minor | $125,025.29 |
| 12 | Trey Yates | $119,302.71 |
| 13 | Nicky Northcott | $111,029.01 |
| 14 | Kaden Profili | $110,666.15 |
| 15 | Jonathan Torres | $110,107 |
| 16 | Wyatt Cox | $106,928.92 |
| 17 | Douglas Rich | $106,787.52 |
| 18 | Denton Dunning | $106,250.77 |
| 19 | Hunter Koch | $94,081.12 |
| 20 | Ross Ashford | $90,916.46 |
How about the heading?
Kolton Schmidt, Jake Smith and Lightning Aguilera will unofficially claim the last three spots inside the Top 15 as their leads in the world standings can’t be touched. The positions they will enter the Thomas & Mack, however, are not yet finalized.
Kolton Schmidt
- Mona, UT (Sept. 24): 5.0 for $1,253
- Bakersfield (Sept. 26): 4.4 for first, $1,622
- Poway (Sept. 27): 5.5 for $1,990
- *San Bernardino (Sept. 27):
Lightning Aguilera
- Mona (Sept. 24): 3.8 for first, $2,129 a man
- Pasadena (Sept. 25): 3.5 for first, $2,836 a man
- Poway (Sept. 27): NT
- *San Bernardino (Sept. 28):
Jake Smith
- *Sioux Falls (Sept. 26-28)*: In for the Semifinals, meaning they are guaranteed at least $4,000 apiece.
- Pasadena (Sept. 22): 10.4
- Mona (Sept. 24): NT
Aaron Tsinigine
- Mona (Sept. 26): 4.9, $1,378 a man
- Poway (Sept. 27): NT
- *San Bernardino (Sept. 28):
Brenten Hall | No. 17 | $103,835.67
- Pasadena (Sept. 24): 4.1 for $2,169 a man
- Poway (Sept. 26): NT
- Stephenville (Sept. 26): 9.2
- *San Bernardino (Sept. 28):
Tyler Tryan
- Sioux Falls (Sept. 26-28)* Did not advance out of the long rounds.
