Gilchrist sees five Pac-12 schools

With recruiting on the forefront of his mind, Isaiah Gilchrist hardly took it easy on spring break last week.

The Rivals250 cornerback from Bellevue, Wash., and his mother went all over the place to touch base with college coaches before competing at the IMG West Regional this past weekend. That's not hyperbole, either.

"We went to a few schools," Gilchrist said with a laugh. "On Monday, we were at California. On Tuesday it was USC. Wednesday we went to UCLA. On Thursday we stopped by Arizona State and on Friday we were at Arizona. Then we flew here to Redondo Beach for this tournament. It's been a crazy week."

Crazy for some, yes, but the 5-foo-11, 180-pound prospect has a lot to figure out with his recruitment, so the whirlwind itinerary is more than reasonable. Washington has been in the conversation the longest given his proximity to campus, but Gilchrist said he's keeping an open mind with the process.

"I really wish I could take officials earlier," Gilchrist said. "I'm going to take a few of those early in the season to get an in-depth look at places. I for sure want to take one to USC, both of the Arizona schools and Washington. I see those coaches a lot, but I might end up taking one there.

"I'm really close with all of the Washington coaches and feel I can talk to them any time I want. I grew up watching the Huskies and really like the coaches, especially coach (Chris) Petersen who is just a great guy and coach (Jimmy) Lake. I talk with him all the time and we've gone over some plays and coverages already."

Gilchrist said he enjoyed the stop in Berkeley for a number of reasons.

"We got there late and they were starting practice," Gilchrist said. "We went on an academic tour and saw a bit of the facilities. I really liked it there. The practice was great with a high-speed tempo."

The Los Angeles also had various impressive points. His teammate, four-star defensive end Isaac Garcia, is committed to the Trojans.

"I like the area a lot," Gilchrist said. "Los Angeles is super nice. I like the coaches at USC. Coach (Keith) Heyward, who I remember from when he was at Washington, we've talked a lot and he's a cool guy. I really like them. And at UCLA I talked with Myles (Jack) a little bit, and I really coach (Jim) Mora, who is a Seattle guy."

Finally, the Arizona schools presented Gilchrist with a new perspective. A highlight of the swing was when he caught up with Sun Devils head coach Todd Graham.

"The temperature out there was great, definitely a nice little vacation from Washington," Gilchrist said. "I talked with coach Graham for a while and he's really straightforward kind of guy. It was great hearing from him because he says whatever is on his mind."

Gilchrist said he'd wait on the official visits to start narrowing down his list.