Jayla Forbes Commits to Texas Women’s Basketball as 2027’s First Five-Star Recruit

On Thursday, 6-foot-7 center Jayla Forbes of Montverde, Florida, announced her commitment to the University of Texas at Austin. Forbes shared the news on Instagram, thanking the coaching staff for believing in her and offering the chance to continue her academic and athletic career at “such an amazing program.” She chose Texas over offers from Notre Dame, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, California and Mississippi State.

247Sports

The Longhorns entered the 2027 recruiting cycle fresh from a second consecutive Final Four appearance in the 2025-26 season. Head coach Vic Schaefer, who previously built elite post play at Mississippi State (2015-19) with players like Teaira McCowan, has already secured the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for 2026, featuring All-American Madison Booker and five-star prospects Addison Bjorn, Brihanna Crittendon, Aaliah Spaight and Joyce-Isi Etute. Forbes becomes the program’s first 2027 commitment, adding to a recent pipeline of dominant interior players that includes former Texas centers Taylor Jones, Kyla Oldacre and Brea Cunningham.

ESPN

Forbes is ranked No. 13 overall and the second-ranked post in the 2027 girls’ SC Next class, according to the 247Sports Composite. Playing for Her Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit, she averages 16.2 points, nine rebounds, shoots 64.6 % from the field and 79.2 % from the free-throw line in just over 20 minutes per game. She also contributed to Team USA’s U-18 FIBA AmeriCup victory in Irapuato, Mexico, last June. Forbes plans to transfer from Montverde Academy to IMG Academy for her senior year and will make an official campus visit Sept. 11-13, the weekend of the Texas-Ohio State football game.

ESPN

• “Thank you to the Texas coaching staff for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to continue my academic and athletic career at such an amazing program.” — Jayla Forbes, Instagram post

247Sports

• “The opportunity to compete in one of the best conferences in college basketball and challenge myself against the highest level of competition is something that I know I wanted early in my process.” — Jayla Forbes, ESPN interview

ESPN

• “Coach Vic Schaefer has a proven blueprint for developing post players and helping them reach their full potential, and that’s something I want to be part of.” — Jayla Forbes, ESPN interview

ESPN

Forbes will complete her senior year at IMG Academy before joining the Longhorns for the 2027-28 season, where she is expected to bolster Texas’ interior presence alongside the incoming 2026 class.

247Sports