When former Notre Dame walk-on fullback Tyler Plantz took a head coaching job at Providence Catholic High, he felt he was giving back to the place that had helped him become a member of the Fighting Irish in the first place. That makes his recent firing even more puzzling.
The New Lenox, Illinois, high school dismissed Plantz on Saturday after he led his team to a 4-0 start and the top of the rankings in the state’s Class 5A. Plantz’s squad was also among the top five teams in the state's Super 25 ranking. It’s strange enough that he was fired during such a strong start, but the school’s lack of explanation makes it even more puzzling.
"Providence Catholic High School is announcing a transition in the leadership of its football program as we move in a new direction," the school’s athletic director, Doug Ternick, said. "The Celtics thank Coach Tyler Plantz for his time and service as head coach and for his commitment to our student-athletes and football program since 2022."
It’s not even that Plantz’s 4-0 start to the season was too little, too late to save the former Notre Dame player’s coaching job. Plantz led Providence to the Class 5A championship game last season, where the Celtics lost to St. Francis. He went 35-19 over parts of five seasons.
Tyler Plantz says Providence Catholic cited recruiting and organizational concerns before firing
Plantz is a Providence Catholic graduate, class of 2010, who went on to play at Notre Dame and later worked on Brian Kelly's staff with the Fighting Irish before coming home to run his alma mater.
So why did the school decide to “move in a new direction” when the program seemed very positive? Even Plantz doesn’t fully understand. On Monday, the now-former head coach released a statement saying the school has, in part, refused to be open and honest about why it dismissed him.
Plantz said everything was sudden and that he received a text message to meet with the school's president and pastoral director, Father John Merkelis.
“During our meeting for less than an hour, Father Merkelis informed me that other staff members had told him about a few disgruntled colleagues and a few football players’ parents. He cited problems with disorganization related to scheduling games for lower-level teams, which was not my responsibility. He also said he was not satisfied with how I managed college recruiting this year and structured lower-level practices,” Plantz wrote.
Plantz said Merkelis told him those were his “only concerns” and that he was then asked to resign. The former Notre Dame player declined and was dismissed.
Scheduling and recruiting in one year of his five years at the school don’t sound like enough to fire a winning head coach. The reasons for the firing come from only one side, and the school likely won’t offer an explanation beyond what it has already released. That leaves the question of why the school dismissed Plantz unresolved.
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