When a coach is terminated, it has a domino effect:

What happens to the assistant coaches?

What happens to the prep recruits and the staff that recruited them? Are they still wanted?

It all changes.

After 15 years and 13 winning seasons at Fresno State, Pat Hill was fired Sunday night. He was scheduled to be in Sacramento this week for in-home visits with recruits, who are now scrambling, as if a job offer suddenly has been pulled. Hill loved to mine the Valley for prospects, and he culled players from Del Paso Heights, Elk Grove, Placer County and points in between.

Former Grant High School offensive lineman Devan Cunningam was a four-year starter for Hill, graduating last spring. Now an assistant at Grant, Cunningham called Hill's firing a "stupid decision." Pleasant Grove graduate Jalen Saunders, Fresno State's top receiver this fall, said the dismissal was "a bad thing." Both went to Fresno after buying into Hill's ability to sell the school's academics and football program.

There has been more divided opinion over Hill than any coach I have experienced.

While I stood in line for media credentials at will call in Fresno for season-opening games against Sacramento State (2007) and UC Davis (2009), Bulldogs fans in nearby ticket lines debated whether Hill was the right coach. Decked in red garb and flushed with anger, Fresno State followers argued and spewed obscenities until security intervened.

During this four-win season, with attendance waning (revenue loss always speaks) and the skeptics all but bearing pitchforks and torches, Hill told media recently: "Hey listen, I'm not dumb. There are a lot of Pat Hill haters. There's a lot of venom that spills. I don't know what I've done to make them mad."

Simple. He didn't win enough. His players graduated, and his teams competed against national powers. The Bulldogs went 112-80 under Hill and made 11 bowl games, but ultimately, Fresno State administrators wanted more.

In a statement Monday in which he took no questions, Hill told the media: "I gave Fresno my best shot for 15 years. It wasn't good enough."

Hill was emotional when thanking his players for their effort and loyalty, closing with, "So as I say goodbye, I thank you. Goodbye, Fresno."

So who's next?

Here's a suggestion: Hire Nigel Burton, Portland State's coach by way of Sacramento.

Burton, a former Jesuit High star, played defensive back for the Washington Huskies, then coached.

In his second year as Portland State's head coach, Burton steered the Vikings from two wins in 2010 to seven this season.

He's a fast-rising commodity, a mixture of charm and discipline. Burton can recruit, and he knows California's fertile talent base includes the Central Valley.

And maybe, he'll get everyone in the ticket line to rally for the same leader.

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