Jess Lockwood (born September 28, 1997) is an American professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding. He competes in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He was the PBR Rookie of the Year in 2016. On November 5, 2017, he became the youngest PBR World Champion. He won his second PBR world championship on November 10, 2019; becoming the youngest bull rider to win two PBR world championships. Since 2025, Lockwood has ridden for the Carolina Cowboys in the PBR Team Series. That same year, the Cowboys won the PBR Team Series Championship title.
In 2023, Lockwood was ranked No. 10 on the list of the top 30 bull riders in PBR history.
Early life Jess Lockwood was born on September 28, 1997, in Volborg, Montana, to Ed and Angie Lockwood (née Schillinger). His father was a former Big Sky region champion bull rider and a professional saddle bronc rider. His mother was a long-time barrel racer. Lockwood was raised on his family's 12,000 acre ranch where they run about 400 head of cattle. As a small child, he would crawl on his father's back and be bucked around their living room for eight seconds. He would then ask his mother "How many was I?". His father would then interview him using the TV remote as a microphone. Lockwood said his father taught him to ride first on sheep and calves, then steers and bulls. Lockwood started riding bulls when he was in the 8th grade. He was the Northern Rodeo Association year-end champion in 2014 and 2015, earning $60,000 in his junior year of high school. He completed his senior year of high school on-line in order to pursue bull riding full time.
Career Lockwood joined the PBR on his 18th birthday, September 28, 2015.
2016 season Lockwood worked his way up in the PBR; competing in the American lower-level tours, the Touring Pro Division and Velocity Tour. He won his first PBR title at the Velocity Tour event in Wheeling, West Virginia, in mid-March. The following week, he won the Touring Pro Division event in Perkins, Oklahoma.
As a result of his win at the Velocity Tour event in Wheeling, Lockwood was invited to compete at the Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) event in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in early April where he finished 7th overall. Two weeks later, he won his first BFTS event in Billings, Montana.
Lockwood would continue placing at several events throughout the year and qualified for his first PBR World Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada, in November. This was the first year the event took place at T-Mobile Arena after taking place for several years at the Thomas & Mack Center. Lockwood struggled; in part due to a broken finger in his riding hand. He bucked off all his long-round bulls and failed to make the Championship Round. However, he won the most points of all riders competing in their first full year on the BFTS and won the 2016 PBR Rookie of the Year title.
2017 season This year, Lockwood won five events, including the BFTS events in New York City, New York; Sacramento, California; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Austin, Texas; as well as the Touring Pro Division event in Binford, North Dakota. Early in the 2017 season, he missed five events due to a groin injury when he was stepped on by 2015 PBR World Champion bull Long John during the 15/15 Bucking Battle of the BFTS event in Kansas City, Missouri, on February 11, 2017. On September 9, 2017, while attempting to ride reigning PBR World Champion bull Sweet Pro's Bruiser at the 15/15 Bucking Battle of the BFTS event in Springfield, Missouri, Lockwood was knocked unconscious. On September 23, 2017, at the BFTS event in Uniondale, New York, he was stepped on by Blue Magic after being thrown. Lockwood suffered a punctured lung, four broken ribs, and a lacerated kidney. After missing several events due to these injuries, Lockwood still finished 2017 a winner. In Las Vegas, Nevada, at the PBR World Finals, on November 5, 2017, he became the youngest bull rider in history to win the PBR World Champion title and was awarded the $1 million prize that goes with it.
2018 season In 2018, the PBR's elite Built Ford Tough Series changed title sponsors and was now known as the Unleash the Beast Series (UTB). This year, Lockwood won four events, including The American Rodeo in Arlington, Texas (in which the bull riding section was sanctioned by the PBR at the time); the UTB event in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; the 15/15 Bucking Battle at the UTB event in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and the Touring Pro Division event in Sheridan, Wyoming. His bid to win back-to-back World Champion titles was cut short when a groin injury left him unable to compete in the final six regular-season UTB events. On September 7, 2018, Lockwood limped from the arena after riding Power Puff for 70 points. He declined the re-ride and was unable to compete in the remainder of the event due to the groin injury. Lockwood did not compete again until the PBR World Finals on November 7, 2018.
2019 season Lockwood won 14 regular-season events in 2019. On February 9, 2019, while attempting to ride Wild Goose, Lockwood was struck in the shoulder by one of Wild Goose's horns. This resulted in a broken collar bone that took Lockwood out of competition for nine UTB events. At the time of the injury, he was ranked No. 1 in the world with a lead of 967.5 points. On October 4, 2019, at the UTB event in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Lockwood set a new PBR record for the most 15/15 Bucking Battle wins in a single season. He rode Bad Beagle for a score of 91.5 for his fourth 15/15 Bucking Battle win of the season.
On October 13, 2019, Lockwood selected Heartbreak Kid for the Championship Round of the UTB event in Greensboro, North Carolina. Heartbreak Kid was on the second longest buck-off streak in PBR history. He had 38 constitutive buck-offs at PBR Premier Series events. Lockwood broke the buck-off streak when he made eight seconds scoring a new career-high 93.75 points. When Lockwood released the rope at the end of the ride, he crashed into the arena floor head first. There was no celebration by Lockwood as he immediately exited the area in pain after the potentially neck-breaking landing. He was diagnosed with a cervical sprain. The following weekend, Lockwood rode Heartbreak Kid again at the UTB event in Nampa, Idaho, for a new career-high 94 points. On November 8, 2019, during a ceremony at the PBR World Finals, Lockwood received the inaugural Mason Lowe Award for his 94-point ride on Heartbreak Kid. Two days later, he won the PBR World Finals event average and his second world championship.
2020 season The only event Lockwood won in 2020 was the UTB event in Manchester, New Hampshire. On February 1, 2020, Lockwood became the fastest PBR rider to cross the $4 million mark in earnings. He earned the $4 million in his first 39 months of competing in the PBR.
On March 1, 2020, during the Championship Round of the UTB event in Kansas City, Missouri, Lockwood's right spur got hung in the bull rope while getting off I'm Legit Too after completing a 91.5-point ride aboard the bull. Lockwood's left hamstring was torn from his hip bone, requiring surgery and a six-month recovery. At the time of his injury, he led the PBR with nine round wins and had five 90-point rides in the 2020 season. Lockwood was World No. 2 in the standings before the injury.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and Nevada state restrictions on large events, the season-ending PBR World Finals was moved from its usual home at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. At the event, Lockwood struggled; bucking off his first three bulls. However, he won Round 4 by Riding Lil 2 Train for 91 points.
2021 season 2021 was not a good year professional year for Lockwood. In mid-January, during the first round of the opening UTB event of the season in Ocala, Florida, he was yanked over the front end by Detroit Lean and one of the bull's horns caught Lockwood in the jaw underneath his helmet's facemask. This resulted in Lockwood receiving a broken jaw that required surgery. He returned to competition three weeks later at the UTB event in Del Rio, Texas, where he rode Skull Crusher for 87 points in Round 1. However, during Round 2, he was bucked off by Jaynettes Pet 2. In the Championship Round, he was bucked off by Coriolis Effect, which resulted in a wreck where Lockwood was yanked towards the bull's head and the collision broke joints in a finger from Lockwood's free hand. Later, at the UTB event in Glendale, Arizona, a determined Lockwood rode Rising Sun for 88.25 points in Round 1. He was bucked off by Lil' Loco in Round 2, but would bounce back in the Championship Round by Riding Canadian Mist for 88.75 points in the Championship Round. Lockwood would end up finishing second in Glendale. However, things would go downhill for him the rest of the season.
After the conclusion of the Glendale UTB event, Lockwood decided to skip the following UTB event in Kansas City, Missouri, to be able to heal a bit from his hand injury. He would return to the UTB event the following weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. However, he would buck off all his bulls he faced in Louisville, as well as all the bulls he faced in the next two UTB events in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In Round 1 of Oklahoma City, Lockwood was bucked off by Bandit and the bull stepped on his left quad. As a result of this new injury, he doctored out of the rest of the event. He would then miss the next two UTB events to recover. He made his return to the UTB event in Billings, Montana, in mid-May where he bucked off all his bulls. Since returning to competition in September 2020 after missing six months while recovering from hamstring surgery, Lockwood's pelvic area had been painful. In May 2022, he went to get an MRI/X-ray to get to the bottom of the problem. As it turned out, he had been riding with a separated pelvis. Said injury possibly dated as far back when he tore his hamstring in March 2020. He decided to get surgery with the hope of returning to competition as soon as the UTB series returned after a two-month summer hiatus.
By mid-September, Lockwood was still not ready to return to competition. However, by the latter part of the month, during the week of his 24th birthday, he posted on his Instagram account videos of him getting on some practice bulls. He was hoping to return to competition at the UTB event in Greensboro, North Carolina, in early October. However, he later stated that his groin was not feeling well and decided to skip said event. He finally made his return at the last regular-season UTB event of 2021 in Lincoln, Nebraska. In Round 1, he was bucked off by Speck. He stated that when he nodded his head for the chute gate to open, he then squeezed his legs against the bull's sides to get a hold as usual, but then heard a pop from his groin area and immediately knew something was not right. After his buck off, he hobbled off the arena and checked in with the PBR sports medicine team. After evaluation from the PBR's medical director, Dr. Tandy Freeman, who suggested there might be scar tissue buildup on Lockwood's groin, Lockwood decided to finish his 2021 season right then and there; ending a disastrous year in his career; one where he failed to qualify for the PBR World Finals for the first time since turning professional as a result of a year riddled with injuries and a poor riding percentage. He decided to recuperate for 2022.
2022 season
Unleash the Beast Series