Bull Rider TJ Gray Opens 2027 Season With Impressive Reno Win

The 2027 rodeo season is heating up as these cowboys work to land on top of the world standings leaderboard. Bull rider TJ Gray is quickly finding success this season as he earned the title at the Reno XBulls Div 2 in Reno, Nevada over the weekend.

TJ Gray Takes The Win

After landing at No. 5 in the world for 2026, Gray is now preparing to take his third trip to the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in December. Now, he’s clearly getting some reps in ahead of the biggest competition of his career.

Reno Xbulls was a great place to start, with a massive payout. With only a small number of cowboys competing, there was ample opportunity for Gray to win big. With just one round in Reno to showcase all their worth, Gray knew he had to make the ride count if he wanted to leave a winner.

Gray came out of the chute swinging on Friday night as he was the last cowboy of the night to make it all eight-seconds on the back of a bull. He fought hard the entire time, and landed on top thanks to a 89.5-point ride on Legacy Pro Rodeo's Frenchy. The cowboy pocketed $8,883 to add to his already growing 2027 prizepot.

Gray is no stranger to the spotlight as he secured the NFR average title in 2025 and finished as the reserve world champion. With $258,648 to his name in 2026, Gray will have his work cut out for him to close the gap between him and Noah Lee at No. 1.

The Road Ahead

Despite the challenge ahead of Gray, his capability to pull in wins at the rodeos is a huge testament to the kind of cowboy he is. He’s already shown the world he has what it takes to land on top, but now he has to do it all again, hopefully this time leaving the Thomas & Mack Arena crowned as the world champion for the first time.

Although the 2026 NFR has not come to fruition yet, Gray is already setting himself up for success next year by building on the momentum he’s creating now. He beat out his competition in Reno by an entire point, and he doesn’t plan on pulling any punches once he gets to Las Vegas in December.

Results

Bull riding:
1. TJ Gray, 89.5 points on Legacy Pro Rodeo's Frenchy, $8,883
2. Billy Quillan, 88.5, $6,810
3. Cody Russell, 87.5, $5,034
4. Cole Hill, 87, $3,257
5. Lane Vaughan, 86, $2,073
6. Conner Halverson, 85, $1,481
7. (tie) Jate Frost, Brad Moreno and Colton Young, 84.5, $691 each.

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