Texas women’s basketball has landed five-star center Jayla Forbes, who announced her commitment to Texas this Thursday on Instagram. 

“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,” Forbes wrote.

Forbes is ranked No. 13 overall and is the No. 2 post player in ESPN’s Class of 2027 rankings and chose Texas over Notre Dame, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, California and Mississippi State. 

Hailing from Montverde, Fla., Forbes will transfer to IMG Academy for her final season of high school basketball. 

Forbes said she chose Texas because she wanted to compete in one of the nation’s toughest conferences and believes playing under head coach Vic Schaefer would provide the best opportunity for her to develop as a player. She also cited the culture within the program as a contributing factor to her decision. 

“Coach Schaefer has a proven blueprint for developing post players and helping them reach their full potential, and that’s something I want to be a part of,” Forbes told ESPN. “His belief in me, along with the culture of excellence and accountability within the program, is what pushed me to make my decision.”

Last month, Forbes helped Team USA win a gold medal at the FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup. She is also currently competing in Nike’s EYBL this summer, where she is averaging 16.2 points and nine rebounds while shooting 64.6% from the field.

Forbes is Texas’ first commitment in the 2027 recruiting class, which comes after the Longhorns signed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class in 2026. This push in recruiting momentum comes as Schaefer looks to build on back-to-back Final Four appearances and position Texas to contend for a national title in the years to come.