One of the best post players in the country is making a major move ahead of her final high school season.
Jayla Forbes, the 6-foot-7 Class of 2027 standout currently ranked No. 13 nationally by ESPN, is transferring from Montverde Academy to IMG Academy for her senior season.
The move keeps Forbes in Florida but places her inside another nationally recognized basketball powerhouse as she prepares for the next stage of her career.
And that next stage is already set.
Forbes committed to Texas in July, becoming the first commitment in the Longhorns' 2027 recruiting class.
For one of the most imposing frontcourt prospects in high school basketball, the pieces are quickly falling into place.
HER Elite during the summer.
IMG Academy for her senior season.
Texas after graduation.
And potentially much more beyond that.
A True 6-Foot-7 Post
Let's get the position right.
Jayla Forbes is a post.
At 6-foot-7, Forbes possesses the type of legitimate interior size that immediately changes a basketball game.
But simply being tall isn't what has made her one of America's premier prospects.
Forbes has developed into an efficient interior scorer, rebounder and rim presence with the mobility and touch to impact the game beyond simply standing around the basket.
Her size creates obvious problems.
Her developing skill set makes those problems considerably more difficult to solve.
ESPN currently has Forbes ranked No. 13 nationally in the Class of 2027 and No. 2 among post players.
That puts her firmly among the elite players in one of the country's deepest recruiting classes.
Leaving Montverde for IMG
Forbes has spent the previous portion of her high school career at Montverde Academy, competing against a national schedule and some of the best high school talent in America.
Now she is making another major move.
Forbes will attend IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, for the 2026-27 season.
It isn't a move from an ordinary high school program into a national powerhouse.
It's a move from one national powerhouse to another.
That distinction matters.
Forbes has already been exposed to high-level practices, national tournaments, college prospects and the expectations that come with playing for Montverde.
IMG gives her another elite developmental environment for the final season before she enters the SEC.
Her Junior Season Showed the Production
Forbes' size isn't simply projection.
She produced.
During her junior season at Montverde, Forbes averaged 10.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 53 percent from the floor.
She also showed an ability to produce against elite opponents.
Her rebounding is particularly important.
At 6-foot-7, Forbes has the ability to control possessions without needing the offense designed around her.
Missed shot.
Rebound.
Possession over.
That becomes increasingly valuable as the level of competition rises.
HER Elite Put Her on the EYBL Stage
Forbes also spent the summer playing with HER Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit.
And that's where her production jumped.
During her 2026 summer run with HER Elite, Forbes averaged 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while shooting 64.6 percent from the field and 79.2 percent from the free throw line.
Those are serious efficiency numbers.
Nearly a double-double.
More than 16 points per game.
Almost 65 percent from the floor.
And she did it inside Nike EYBL competition.
That performance helped reinforce what college coaches already knew.
Forbes isn't simply a prospect because of her height.
She's productive.
HER Elite Has Given Forbes Room to Establish Herself
Playing with HER Elite has also given Forbes another platform to develop her identity.
On a circuit loaded with nationally ranked players, Forbes has established herself as one of the premier interior players in the 2027 class.
She rebounds.
She finishes.
She runs the floor.
She provides a target around the rim that guards can find when defenses collapse.
And at 6-foot-7, she forces opposing teams to account for her every time they enter the paint.
That changes games even when Forbes isn't scoring.
USA Basketball Added Another Level
The summer wasn't limited to EYBL.
Forbes was selected for USA Basketball and helped the United States win gold at the 2026 FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup.
She averaged 7.4 points and 5.1 rebounds across five games during the tournament.
That experience matters.
International basketball provides another level of competition and another evaluation environment.
Forbes wasn't simply dominating because she was bigger than local high school competition.
She was playing against national teams while representing the United States.
That is another significant piece of an already impressive résumé.
Then Came Texas
On July 16, Forbes made the biggest decision of her recruitment.
She committed to Texas and head coach Vic Schaefer.
The fit makes sense.
Schaefer has consistently shown a willingness to build around size and interior play.
Texas has featured productive post players, and Schaefer has a history of developing elite bigs dating back to his time at Mississippi State.
Forbes specifically pointed to that history when discussing her decision.
She wanted a program that understood how to utilize and develop a player with her size.
Texas checked that box.
She chose the Longhorns from a recruitment that included programs such as Notre Dame, UCLA, Vanderbilt, California, Mississippi State and Oklahoma.
Texas Is Getting Exactly What It Likes
At 6-foot-7, Forbes gives Texas something that is increasingly difficult to find.
True size.
Not a 6-foot-2 forward playing center.
Not a wing being moved inside because of a lineup adjustment.
A legitimate 6-foot-7 post player.
That creates options.
Forbes can establish position around the basket.
She can rebound outside her area.
She can contest shots without necessarily leaving her feet.
She can become a lob target.
She can create second-chance possessions.
And as her offensive skill continues developing, Texas can potentially play through her.
Schaefer has done that before.
No. 13 in America
The rankings now reflect how highly Forbes is viewed nationally.
NBA.com's August preview of the SLAM Summer Classic listed Forbes as the No. 13 player in ESPN's Class of 2027 rankings.
She was also one of the elite girls selected to participate in the event alongside many of the biggest names in high school basketball.
Rankings can change.
They aren't the final determination of what a player becomes.
But being ranked No. 13 nationally at this stage means something.
There are thousands of girls playing basketball in the 2027 class.
Forbes is considered one of the very best.
IMG Could Be the Final Preparation
Now comes perhaps the most interesting year of her development.
Forbes doesn't need to spend her senior season chasing scholarship offers.
She already has her college destination.
She doesn't need to prove that she can compete nationally.
She already has.
She doesn't need to introduce herself to evaluators.
They know who she is.
That changes the objective.
The 2026-27 season can be about preparation.
Developing her body.
Improving her conditioning.
Expanding her offensive game.
Becoming more comfortable away from the basket.
Improving passing reads against double teams.
Continuing to develop defensively.
Preparing for the physicality of SEC basketball.
IMG Academy provides an environment where that type of development can happen every day.
Another Loaded IMG Roster
Forbes is also walking into a program filled with talent.
IMG's 2027 group already includes multiple nationally ranked prospects, creating an environment where Forbes won't simply encounter elite competition during games.
She will see it in practice.
That's one of the major advantages of programs like IMG and Montverde.
Practice itself becomes part of the evaluation and development process.
There aren't many possessions where a nationally ranked player can relax.
Forbes is choosing to spend her final high school season inside that environment.
From Montverde to HER Elite to IMG to Texas
The path is becoming clear.
Montverde gave Forbes experience inside one of America's premier high school programs.
HER Elite provided another national platform through Nike EYBL.
USA Basketball put her against international competition.
IMG Academy becomes the final high school stop.
Texas becomes the next destination.
Forbes has already built the résumé of an elite prospect.
Now the question becomes how much better she can get before arriving in Austin.
The Ceiling Is the Story
There aren't many legitimate 6-foot-7 players in women's basketball.
There are even fewer who combine that size with the production, mobility and national experience Forbes already possesses.
That's what makes her development worth watching.
She is already ranked No. 13 nationally.
She is already a five-star prospect.
She is already a USA Basketball gold medalist.
She is already committed to one of the premier women's basketball programs in the country.
And she still has an entire senior season remaining.
For Jayla Forbes, the move to IMG Academy isn't about introducing herself.
The basketball world already knows the name.
It's about preparing for what comes next.
IMG in 2026-27.
Texas in 2027.
And if the development continues, potentially an even bigger stage after that.
