Inside the numbers: How Leme, Crimber and Lee dominate

Jose Vitor Leme, John Crimber and Noah Lee have set the bar for bull riding in 2026. 

Leme, already a three-time PBR World Champion, just clinched his third PBR Teams MVP ahead of the PBR Teams Championship this week. Crimber, 21, won his first PBR World Title in May before surging up the PRCA World Standings and qualifying for the NFR. And Lee, at just 18, broke the PRCA regular-season earnings record, winning more than $400,000 to carry a $77,000 lead into Las Vegas.

A deeper look into their numbers tells the story: Leme's efficiency on the rankest bulls in the sport; Lee's consistency on numerous outs; and Crimber's blend of both quality and quantity.

Here's a dive into the data, via ProBullStats, which has tracked bull rides for nearly 30 years:

Jose Vitor Leme

• Riding percentage: 66.67% (40-for-60)
• 90-point rides: 7
• Vs. bulls with 72+ ProBullStats power rating: 39.13% (9-for-23)

Leme battled injuries during the PBR's Unleash the Beast season in the spring, but he came back sharp for Teams. Leme is an incredible 29-for-33 for the Austin Gamblers this season, and his 90.55-point ride on Oct. 24 broke the PBR's all-time record for 90-point rides.

Looking deeper at the data, Leme is 40-for-60 for the year, including 9-for-23 against bulls with a ProBullStats power rating of 72 or higher. What does that mean? A 72 rating is generally the average difficulty for NFR and PBR Unleash the Beast bulls, according to ProBullStats. By comparison, 59 is the average for all bulls and 79 is the average PBR World Finals bull. When the bulls get tougher, so does Leme: Against bulls with an 80+ rating, he's 4-for-10 this year, including a 90.55 and 89.50 on Flapjack.

John Crimber

• Riding percentage: 59.12% (81-for-137)
• 90-point rides: 20
• Vs. bulls with 72+ ProBullStats power rating: 46.03% (29-for-63)

Crimber has maintained a riding percentage near 60% while juggling the demands of a PBR and PRCA schedule, and chasing world titles in both associations. If that wasn't impressive enough, Crimber has racked up 20 rides of 90 or better and he's been elite against the top-rated bulls.

Crimber is 29-for-63 (46.03%) against 72-rated bulls and nearly as good against 80-rated bulls, going 8-for-18 (44.44%). Crimber's 93.95-pointer on Fire Zone at PBR Billings in April was one of the top bull rides of the year.

Crimber's success against high-rated bulls could be pivotal at the NFR, where he'll enter trailing Lee by around $150,000.

Noah Lee

• Riding percentage: 65.32% (81-for-124)
• 90-point rides: 22
• Vs. bulls with 72+ ProBullStats power rating: 23.33% (7-for-30)

Throw out all the numbers on Noah Lee and just focus on one thing: He sticks to bulls like glue.

Lee's 65.32% riding percentage is nearly identical to Leme's — except Lee has done it on twice as many bulls in 2026. In fact, Lee's 66.87% career riding percentage is the highest in the ProBullStats database — ever. That might balance out as Lee gets on more bulls throughout his career, but for now he's as good as anyone at reaching the whistle.

Lee has 22 rides of 90 or better this year and he's hit the 93-point mark twice. Leme and Crimber have a leg up on Lee when it comes to facing higher-rated bulls, but Lee will get plenty of chances to prove himself in that department at the NFR. And if he holds his own against the top stock, he'll cruise to a gold buckle.