Florida Freedom star John Crimber wins Round 1 as Unleash The Beast brings electricity to Florida State University

03.14.26 - News

Florida Freedom star John Crimber wins Round 1 as Unleash The Beast brings electricity to Florida State University

No. 2 Crimber climbs within 55 points of No. 1 Sage Steele Kimzey in world Championship race.

By Brittany Rader

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – No. 2 John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) won the opening round of PBR Florida State, competing outdoors at Florida State University’s Doak S. Campbell Stadium during the thirteenth stop of the 2026 Unleash The Beast (UTB) schedule on Friday night.

Crimber claimed his second round win of the season courtesy of an 88.80-point conversion aboard Phe-Phe’s Soul Man during the third out of the event on a night where seven of the pack’s first nine riders went the distance en route to electrifying the opening-night crowd.

“Riding in a building like this – this stadium, with these people – Man, I love Florida. I love you guys and thanks to the fans for coming out. We’re trying to put on a show for you guys and I hope ya’ll enjoy the best bull riders in the world this weekend,” said John Crimber on the Paramount+ telecast.

“Gosh dang I love bull riding. That bull, a lot of guys don’t get along with him but I knew God gave me that bull for a reason and he gave me this ability to ride bulls for a reason, so I just trusted it and went after him like any other bull. Up and down, round and round.”

The home-state Florida Freedom star, of the separate PBR Teams league, earned 38 UTB points and now trails No. 1 Sage Steele Kimzey (Strong City, Oklahoma) by 55 points, shaving 28 points off the initial 88-point lead Kimzey brought into Tallahassee.

Kimzey survived the requisite eight seconds atop Little Rip to earn 85.95 points and occupies the 11th spot on the event leaderboard heading into Saturday’s second round.

This weekend’s competition represents the first and only PBR Major of the 2026 premier series campaign, with additional UTB points and more than $200,000 in payouts available as the world championship title race continues to heat up down the home stretch.

Trace Redd (Malad, Idaho) enters Saturday in second place after besting Tecovas Triple Aught for 88.55 points in Round 1. Redd earned 28 UTB points and advanced from No. 42 to No. 37.

Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) returned from injury to log his first conversion in six weeks and secure a third-place finish in the opening round. Swearingen bested Turning Point for a season-high 88.20 points and earned 22 UTB points, now ranked No. 27.

Kase Hitt (Dickson, Oklahoma) battled through an early re-ride attempt but later exited a head-to-head dance with Dirty South with a qualified ride. Hitt’s 87.35-point score was good enough for fourth place and earned the 21-year-old 20 UTB points, moving him up to No. 34.

Rounding out the Top 5, Alex Cerqueira (Iguatemi, Brazil) became the first cowboy to record his 20th qualified ride of the season Friday night. The Brazilian rider mirrored Swamp Donkey for 87.10 points and took home 19 UTB points but remains No. 7 in the standings.

Country music singer Jon Pardi performed for the energetic crowd to cap off Friday night’s festivities, with fellow country music star Miranda Lambert set to perform following Saturday’s Championship Round.

Action for PBR Florida State will continue with Round 2 immediately followed by the Championship Round on Saturday, March 14, at 7:45 p.m. ET, with the event’s coverage set to begin on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET.

Unleash The Beast – PBR Florida State
Doak S. Campbell Stadium – Tallahassee, Florida
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. John Crimber, 88.8-0-0-88.80-38 Points.
2. Trace Redd, 88.55-0-0-88.55-28 Points.
3. Daylon Swearingen, 88.2-0-0-88.20-22 Points.
4. Kase Hitt, 87.35-0-0-87.35-20 Points.
5. Alex Cerqueira, 87.1-0-0-87.10-19 Points.
6. Marco Rizzo, 86.95-0-0-86.95-17 Points.
7. Cort McFadden, 86.85-0-0-86.85-16 Points.
8. Maverick Smith, 86.5-0-0-86.50-13.5 Points.
(tie). Bob Mitchell, 86.5-0-0-86.50-13.5 Points.
10. Kaiden Loud, 86.15-0-0-86.15-11 Points.
11. Sage Steele Kimzey, 85.95-0-0-85.95-10 Points.
12. Eduardo Aparecido, 85.85-0-0-85.85-9 Points.
13. Bruno Carvalho, 85.75-0-0-85.75-8 Points.
14. Leandro Zampollo, 85.6-0-0-85.60-8 Points.
15. Luciano De Castro, 85.45-0-0-85.45-8 Points.
16. Lucas Divino, 85.3-0-0-85.30-8 Points.
17. Dalton Kasel, 84.9-0-0-84.90-8 Points.
18. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 84.25-0-0-84.25-8 Points.
Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 0-0-0-0.00
Julio Cesar Marques, 0-0-0-0.00
Brady Fielder, 0-0-0-0.00
Koltin Hevalow, 0-0-0-0.00
Cassio Dias, 0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0.00
Callum Miller, 0-0-0-0.00
Thiago Salgado, 0-0-0-0.00
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0.00
Alan de Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00
Afonso Quintino, 0-0-0-0.00
Felipe Furlan, 0-0-0-0.00
Daniel Keeping, 0-0-0-0.00
Jose Vitor Leme, 0-0-0-0.00
Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0.00
Austin Richardson, 0-0-0-0.00
Alison dos Santos, 0-0-0-0.00
Andy Guzman, 0-0-0-0.00
Wyatt Rogers, 0-0-0-0.00
Elijah Jennings, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcus Mast, 0-0-0-0.00
Macaulie Leather, 0-0-0-0.00
2026 Professional Bull Riders Unleash The Beast Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5's, Points, Total Winnings)
1. Sage Steele Kimzey, 11, 3, 4, 647.00, $173,337.62
2. John Crimber, 13, 1, 4, 592.00, $109,066.67
3. Leandro Zampollo, 12, 0, 5, 475.50, $102,995.95
4. Dalton Kasel, 12, 2, 4, 443.50, $120,848.33
5. Clay Guiton, 8, 0, 4, 409.50, $89,715.48
6. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 13, 1, 5, 402.00, $93,605.00
7. Alex Cerqueira, 13, 0, 3, 391.50, $72,173.33
8. Julio Cesar Marques, 12, 0, 3, 350.00, $69,805.48
9. Brady Fielder, 13, 1, 2, 333.00, $81,000.00
10. Cassio Dias, 13, 1, 1, 326.00, $61,757.14
11. Cort McFadden, 10, 0, 2, 321.00, $37,630.48
11. Marco Rizzo, 13, 1, 2, 321.00, $85,290.00
13. Kaiden Loud, 13, 0, 3, 320.00, $52,363.33
14. Koltin Hevalow, 13, 0, 1, 246.50, $39,933.33
15. Andrew Alvidrez, 13, 1, 1, 229.00, $60,133.33
16. Jess Lockwood, 5, 1, 1, 215.00, $65,075.00
17. Callum Miller, 12, 0, 2, 209.00, $24,447.14
18. Maverick Smith, 12, 0, 1, 181.00, $23,925.00
19. Bob Mitchell, 10, 0, 1, 180.00, $27,390.00
20. Thiago Salgado, 11, 0, 0, 179.00, $26,300.00
21. Bruno Carvalho, 8, 0, 0, 177.50, $5,950.00
22. Alan de Souza, 12, 0, 1, 176.00, $18,050.00
23. Kaique Pacheco, 13, 0, 1, 172.50, $15,825.00
24. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 13, 0, 0, 170.00, $12,600.00
25. Claudio Montanha Jr., 13, 0, 1, 150.00, $16,907.14
25. Eduardo Aparecido, 13, 0, 1, 150.00, $28,190.00
27. Daylon Swearingen, 10, 0, 0, 138.50, $15,200.00
28. Luciano De Castro, 11, 0, 1, 137.00, $18,557.14
29. Afonso Quintino, 13, 0, 0, 127.00, $10,557.14
30. Lucas Divino, 8, 0, 1, 122.00, $11,650.00
31. Felipe Furlan, 8, 0, 2, 120.00, $24,447.14
32. Daniel Keeping, 12, 0, 0, 115.50, $16,450.00
33. Jose Vitor Leme, 8, 0, 0, 110.50, $16,100.00
34. Kase Hitt, 10, 0, 1, 107.50, $9,082.14
35. Kade Madsen, 5, 0, 0, 106.00, $3,150.00
36. Manoelito de Souza Junior, 8, 0, 1, 102.00, $16,800.00
37. Trace Redd, 3, 0, 1, 81.00, $9,800.00
38. Hudson Bolton, 7, 0, 0, 77.00, $9,250.00
39. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 13, 0, 0, 74.00, $9,700.00
40. Austin Richardson, 6, 0, 0, 67.50, $11,675.00
41. Alison dos Santos, 8, 0, 0, 65.00, $4,600.00
42. João Ricardo Vieira, 9, 0, 0, 60.00, $4,050.00
43. Cleber Henrique Marques, 9, 0, 0, 38.50, $7,933.33
44. Wyatt Rogers, 9, 0, 0, 36.00, $2,400.00
45. Andy Guzman, 8, 0, 0, 33.00, $3,550.00

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media

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