Jesse Brown Enters 2026 NFR as No. 1 Steer Wrestler After Record-Breaking Season

Jesse Brown has spent seven consecutive seasons earning his way to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, but this December, he will arrive in Las Vegas in a position he has never held before. The Baker City, Oregon cowboy is entering the 2026 NFR ranked No. 1 in the world after a record breaking regular season that saw him earn $236,547 and build a $25,000 lead over five time world champion Tyler Waguespack.

Brown has been among the best steer wrestlers in professional rodeo for years, finishing third in the world in 2025 and accumulating more than $1.7 million in career earnings. But the one accomplishment still missing from his résumé is a PRCA world championship, and he has given himself his strongest opportunity yet to change that.

His 2026 season included victories across the country, from the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo in Texas to Chief Joseph Days in his home state of Oregon. Brown also picked up wins at the Puyallup Rodeo, Moses Lake Round-Up Rodeo, Evanston Cowboys Days, Mountain Valley Stampede, Wet Mountain Valley Stampede, Central Wyoming Fair & PRCA Rodeo and High Desert Stampede.

One of his biggest paydays came late in the season at the Cinch Playoffs Governor's Cup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he collected $43,433 in that one stop. The earnings helped Brown close out the regular season with a record setting total, surpassing the previous PRCA regular season earnings record for steer wrestling.

Brown's success has been built on a season of consistent runs, major rodeo victories and a horse that has already proven himself on the sport's biggest stage.

A familiar part of Brown's success is an outstanding athlete named Banker. The standout steer wrestling horse is owned by fellow competitor Justin Shaffer. Banker was named the 2025 Nutrena Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year presented by AQHA and has played a major role in the success of several of the PRCA's top bulldoggers.

Brown, Shaffer and Tucker Allen all rode Banker into the 2025 NFR ranked among the top five steer wrestlers in the world. The horse continued to prove his value once competition began in Las Vegas, particularly during Round 4, when all three cowboys riding him finished in the money.

Tucker Allen ended up as the 2025 World Champion Steer Wrestler on Banker. 

Banker's speed, consistency and ability to give multiple cowboys a competitive opportunity have made him one of the most valuable horses in the event. Brown has regularly relied on him throughout his career, and that partnership remains an important part of his success heading into another NFR.

While Brown enters Las Vegas with the world standings lead, the championship race is far from decided. Sitting second is Tyler Waguespack of Gonzales, Louisiana, with $210,876 in regular season earnings.

Waguespack already owns five PRCA steer wrestling world championships, and a sixth would put him alongside Homer Pettigrew and Harry Charters for the most world titles in the event's history. Both of these cowboys competed in the 1950's.

With just over $25,000 separating Waguespack from Brown, the two will begin the NFR within striking distance of one another.

Cash Robb of Altamont, Utah, enters ranked third with $162,437. Robb is also searching for his first world championship and has put together a season that places him among the top contenders heading into December.

For Brown, it will be about maintaining the advantage he spent the entire regular season building. The NFR offers substantial money in every round, along with the average payout, meaning the world standings can change considerably over 10 nights of competition.

Brown knows that better than most. He has come so close to that gold buckle several times. In 2025, he entered the NFR ranked second in the world and finished the year third, once again coming close to the championship he has been working toward throughout his career.

Now he returns with another year of experience, a record breaking regular season and the No. 1 position in the standings.

Seven NFR qualifications, more than $1.7 million in earnings and a long list of rodeo victories have made it clear that he is one of the greats. The 2026 NFR offers him an opportunity to add the one title that has remained out of reach this far in his career.

With Waguespack chasing history and Brown looking for his own first gold buckle, the steer wrestling world championship race will be one to watch in Las Vegas. Brown has given himself the lead heading into Round 1, and now he has 10 rounds to turn the best regular season of his career into his first World Championship.