Following Setbacks, Roper Bryce Derrer Embracing Strong Start to 2026 Season

Thanks to some earlier success, the tie-down roper has put himself in the top spot of the PRCA World Standings.

Bryce Derrer, black shirt, captured the Cinch Roping Fiesta back in October to catapult himself into the No. 1 spot in the PRCA Tie-Down World Standings. | Courtesy of San Angelo Rodeo and Stock Show's Facebook

The idea of quitting never crossed Bryce Derrer’s mind, even as everything seemed to be crashing down around him. 

In 2024, the Portales, N.M., tie-down roper put together an impressive rookie season. He earned just shy of $99,000, placing second in the Resistol Rookie of the Year rankings. That total also put him 17th in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association World Standings, two spots out from qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. 

Derrer had aspirations of taking that momentum and building on it during his sophomore campaign, plans that ultimately never came to fruition. 

Two of his personal horses sustained injuries that required significant recovery time. Then, the horse he borrowed from his girlfriend Carlee Potter, Tippee, passed away unexpectedly in Kennewick, Wash., from a ruptured aorta in the arena during a run.

In amongst all that, his truck broke down. It’s a difficult scenario to imagine, especially in a condensed timeline. Many might have taken a moment to step back and re-evaluate. For Derrer, the only option was to press on. 

“A lot of people were like, ‘That’s crazy that you still stayed out there doing all that and still trying,’” Derrer said. “I felt like I still had a decent chance of making the Finals if I went out there and did my job, even on all those different horses (I borrowed). I guess that just wasn’t how it was supposed to be written for 2025 for my life. At the same point, I’m where I’m at today because of it.”

Back in Rhythm

Where Derrer is now couldn’t be more diametrically opposed to where he was then. Last season, limped to a spot just inside the top 40 with less than $64,000 in earnings.

While he had hoped to be preparing for the 2025 NFR late last year, Derrer instead got to work on 2026, starting with a big showing at the Cinch Roping Fiesta in San Angelo, Texas, in October. He put together an impressive three runs, winning the first and second go-rounds, while taking fifth in the finals to claim the average in an aggregate time of 30.9 seconds. 

Between that victory and a little money won at the Cattle Call Rodeo in Brawley, Calif., Derrer had more than $16,700 in his ledger before the calendar turned to 2026. Last weekend, he added to that total, claiming third in the opening go at the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, Texas, allowing him to finish seventh in the average. That resulted in another $2,245 earned.

“I’m still in shock that I won that kind of roping, that prestige of roping,” Derrer said. “I’m not shocked at my abilities, but just that event, I’m just speechless on that part of it. It’s amazing that I won that type of roping with just the names that have won it in the past.”

All of that success has put Derrer atop the PRCA Tie-Down Leaderboard in the early goings of the new season. 

While there is a long way to go, the positive outcomes so far are a welcome change after the struggles of last season. Derrer will have his previously injured personal horses back in rotation soon, giving him a full complement of equine partners to work with. He added a third horse to his trailer last season from Bailey Young with Ultimate Performance Horses. The 7-year-old mare, Bonnie, helped him with the Roping Fiesta. 

A year after everything seemed to go wrong, Derrer remains focused on what can go right in 2026. 

“I’ve got bigger goals than just making NFR – I want to stay in the top five all season,” Derrer said. “We’re just gonna play it by ear, one calf at a time and just ride it out how the Lord wants it. I’m going to enjoy the highs but don’t go so low on the lows. I’m just going to keep it even keeled all the way across.”

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