Tyler Plantz was fired as the head high school football coach at Providence Catholic in Illinois after just four games. The move, which has not been explained as of this writing, is effective immediately.
Offensive coordinator Adam Nissen has been named as the interim.
Nobody saw this coming. The Celtics won their first four games of the high school football season so there must be more to the story.
Providence Catholic is an Illinois high school football title contender.
Founded in 1880, Providence Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic secondary school run by the Order of Saint Augustine as a member of the Augustinian Secondary Education Association. It enrolls ~800 students in Grades 9-12. The 75-acre campus is located in New Lenox, Illinois. New Lenox is a suburb of Chicago, approximately 40 miles from downtown.
The Celtics are known for their exceptional athletic programs. They hold the Illinois private school record for most state championships in any sport. That includes 10 titles in high school football. They most recently won in 2014.
Providence Catholic hired Tyler Plantz as its head coach in 2022. Plantz, who played running back for the Fighting Irish began his coaching career at Notre Dame under the tutelage of Brian Kelly. He served as a coaching assistant, strength and conditioning coach, offensive line assistant, senior special teams and offensive analyst, and assistant director of football operations at various points from 2015-2021. He returned to his high school alma mater as head coach.
The Celtics finished as the IHSA Class 5A state runner-up in 2025. They lost by three points on a crazy ending in the state championship game.
Providence Catholic picked right back up where it left off in 2026. It started the year at 4-0 by a combined score of 125-52. It currently ranks as the No. 7 team in the state of Illinois. The remaining schedule sets up well for another deep run in the playoffs.
Tyler Plantz is fired as head coach.
This is where things get weird. The Celtics fired their head coach after an undefeated start to the season.
Providence Catholic announced a “transition in the leadership of its football program, as Tyler Plantz will no longer be serving as our head coach.” Adam Nissen was promoted to the interim role. No further information was provided.
“We understand that a change in leadership during a season can bring questions and emotions for our student-athletes and families. Our priority is to provide our players with consistency, support and a positive environment as they move forward together.”
Nobody knows why Plantz was let go in the middle of the season. He did not respond to requests for comment. The school did not announce any kind of investigation. Nor did it explain the reason for the sudden change at head coach.
As of this writing, there is nothing to suggest any sort of wrongdoing. However, the timing of this decision alludes to something bigger. Its not like Plantz was not delivering results. What led to this ouster?