2024 Bull Riding Rookie of the Year Opens 2026 Strong After 2025 Year-Ending Injury

After winning his campaign for 2024 Bull Riding Resistol Rookie of the Year, Cooper James took a hit in 2025 that pulled him from competiton. Now, he's back with a vengeance to take his place back at the top.

Cooper James rides a bucking bull at the 2024 National Finals Rodeo | PRCA Photo by Roseanna Sales

Winning the Bull Riding Resistol Rookie of the Year is no easy feat for athletes entering the PRCA arena for the first time. While the coveted award can mark the beginning of an illustrious career, the pressure can catch up proving whether or not these athletes have what it takes to make history.

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The 2024 Bull Riding Rookie of the Year was Cooper James, and he’s lived up to the title in his two years since earning the award. He quickly rose in the ranks that year, finishing third in the world standings with $371,302.

At the National Finals Rodeo that year, he placed in five rounds with wins in rounds five and seven. James secured the No. 2 spot in the average, scoring 428 points on five head, taking home $212,304 just at the NFR. 

Injury Sent Him Home Early In 2025

After such a solid start to his career, 2025 did not look the same for the athlete. Early in the season, he suffered a year-ending injury to his adductor, tearing the muscle in May. While this set him back tremendously, it didn’t slow him down too much. 

Despite struggling last year, he did pull in two rodeo wins at the Redding Rodeo in California and co-championed the Springville Sierra Rodeo in California. James didn’t earn a spot at the Thomas & Mack arena during his second year, falling to unranked after a slow start to the season. 

2026 needs to be huge for him if he wants to work his way back to the top. He’s already off to a much stronger start this year, sitting at No. 7 in the world standings with $21,730 earned so far. He secured the top spot in the average at the Fort Worth, TX Bulls Night Out and landed in the top 10 (No.6 ) at Cinch World's Toughest Rodeo in Des Moines, Iowa. 

James Will Have To Face Wacey Schalla Once Again

The 20-year-old out of Erda, Utah had a huge year to begin his PRCA career. To win his Resistol Rookie of the Year campaign, he had to go up against the likes of Wacey Schalla and Jeter Lawrence. Schalla has gone on to become a household name in the rodeo community just two years after losing the race to James. 

Now, James will have to battle it out against Schalla again if he wants to regain the same notoriety. He sits outside of the top five by just a few thousand dollars, but with his stiffest competition being some of the best cowboys in the game (Stetson Wright, Schalla) he’ll have to go above and beyond throughout the entire season to make his mark. 

Although there is plenty of season ahead, things can turn on a dime in the rodeo world. Rodeo on SI will keep a close eye on how things turn out for this young cowboy as the 2026 season continues. 

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