Preventive Recruiting: A New Theory?

I'll be up front and honest, I am not a history guru in terms of recruiting in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. But after reading an article out of the Cleveland Plain Dealer last weekend I am here to propose a new term: Preventive Recruiting. Now, there may be a term associated with this type of sports recruitment already so I apologize in advance if I am defining someone else's term.

Anyways, the article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer talked about how Nick Saban and the Alabama football coaching staff were looking at prospects for their team at Cleveland Glenville High School. Glenville traditionally sends big time players to Ohio State, such as Troy Smith and Tedd Ginn Jr. So in the past Alabama never came up this way for recruiting purposes, but are seem to be changing that now. However a question comes into play: Is this simply Alabama changing their recruiting tactics or are they just trying to take away these top-notch players away from Ohio State to weaken their competition?

This brings an interesting recruiting perspective into play, the term I am calling (for lack of a better word) preventive recruiting. Although not morally correct, morality doesn't win championships. However, you have got to believe coaches wouldn't stoop to the level of preventively recruiting players just to win championships.

So what is preventive recruiting specifically? I am defining preventing recruiting as the process in which a coach recruits a player (or players) for the sole purpose of taking away from another team instead of recruiting them for their own teams benefit.

If a 5 star recruit is leaning towards picking the number 10 ranked team in the nation and then the number 1 team in the nation offers them a full ride, this might sway this recruits decision. He may never be put into a game for a useful purpose but as long as he won't be helping out an opposing team this benefits the coach.

This method would have many implications involved in terms of if scholarship money is available, how much playing time would the recruit be promised and get (if failed promises occur transferring is an option), the integrity of the coach and so on....

I'm not saying this happens, because it may not. This is just an interesting concept to think about if it actually does take place.