Major rodeos: CNFR; Snake River Stampede (Nampa, Idaho); Silver State Stampede (Elko, Nevada); Ellensburg Rodeo (Wash.); Lewiston Roundup (Idaho); Black Hills Roundup (Belle Fourche, South Dakota); Clark County Fair & Rodeo (Logandale, Nevada); Caldwell Night Rodeo (Idaho)
Star Horsepower: Grace (Gunnabeanangel), Casino
Rope Choice: Classic Powerline Lite HM
In 2025, Kaden Profili is heading to his second straight NFR, but his early success on rodeo’s biggest stage has been years in the making.
The 23-year-old from East Texas learned to rope as a kid from his grandfather on his mother’s side.
“Probably the most important thing he tells me is to never take a bad shot,” Profili told The Team Roping Journal’sKendra Santos in 2024. “Catch the steer when you know you can, he always says.”
Profili got started heading, winning a truck at 10 years old. But when he was big enough to heel and dally, he made a switch that’s since shaped his career.
In 2019, Profili won the Yeti Jr. Open at the Cinch USTRC National Finals of Team Roping behind Kreece Thompson for $11,300. Two years later, in 2022, Thompson and Profili won it again, this time for $14,500.
In 2022, Profili joined the PRCA on his permit, and a year later he etched his name in history as the 2023 Resistol Rookie Heeler of the Year. Profili roped behind Ty Arnold all season–aside from his Resistol Rookie Roundup win with Cole Thomas that April–to rake in $51,048.
“That was my main goal for [that] year,” Profili said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so it was pretty important to me to get that rookie title.”
Perhaps Profili’s biggest year came in 2024, though. Profili claimed the CNFR title for Texas A&M University–Commerce in June with James Arviso while sitting inside the Top 15 of the PRCA world standings. Heeling for now four-time NFR header Brenten Hall, the two won the Ellensburg Rodeo in Washington for $9,113 a man. Often looked at as a fourth-quarter marker for an NFR qualification, and the win pushed them to No. 8 in the world and, eventually, locked in Profili’s first NFR qualification.
“It means a lot,” Profili said. “A lot of these guys have been out here rodeoing a long time, and I feel like being able to win [Ellensburg] my second year out here, I mean, I think that’s pretty awesome.”
Profili has a standout rookie performance inside the Thomas & Mack that December, winning $95,848 a man with Hall. Hall and Profili placed four rounds, highlighted by the Round 6 win with a 3.5-second run,
Kaden Profili celebrates after the Round 6 win at the 2024 NFR. | Clay Guardipee Photo
“We called it in the back,” Profili said. “We were like, ‘They were 3.6’ and we were like, ‘Oh let’s be 3.5 and let’s do it and see what happens.’ Then somehow we were 3.5.”
In 2025, Profili will heel for two-time NFR header Lightning Aguilera at the NFR as Hall finished 17th with $108,874.07.
“Just getting in there and feeling that energy and all those people in that building makes you want to rope there so bad. It’s something I’ve never felt before. There’s nothing like that arena.”– Kaden Profili, 2024
Profili’s second Finals beat his first. Heeling for Lightning Aguilera, he came into the 2025 NFR at No. 14 and won Round 1 with a 4.0 for $36,667.95 a man.
“He did a great job turning him, which made my job easy,” Profili said. “I even got to take an extra swing or two. It feels good, but I’m not really looking at the standings. I’m just going to keep roping and see what happens. Let it play out.”
They split the Round 3 win in a three-way tie and won Round 9 with a 3.4, then finished sixth in the average at 43.1 on seven head. Profili finished fifth in the world with $260,350.
The pair teamed back up for the 2026 summer. A two-week run in June was worth $30,740 a man, including the split average win at the Snake River Stampede and the win at the Silver State Stampede in Elko, Nevada. In September they were second in the average at Ellensburg, a rodeo Profili had already won once.
