Tyler Plantz, who says ‘I would not resign,’ speaks out on being fired as Providence’s head football coach

Tyler Plantz has shared his side of the story after Providence announced Sunday he had been fired as the team’s head coach.

Plantz released a statement to Matt Fortuna, who operates The Inside Zone, a college football newsletter.

Plantz said that Providence president John Merkelis asked Plantz to meet with him Saturday morning and then requested that Plantz resign.

“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,” Plantz said. “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. Father Merkelis clearly stated these factors were his only concern and then offered me the option to resign.”

Plantz, a Providence graduate who played at Notre Dame, said he met with Merkelis again Sunday and refused to resign.

“I informed Father Merkelis that I would not resign because my decision to move to Providence Catholic from college football was a very personal one and I would never quit on my student athletes or our team,” Plantz said.

Plantz said that as of Monday morning he had not received formal notice of Providence’s intention to terminate him.

“I am confounded by this decision and how it has been handled,” Plantz said. “I remain proud of my contributions to Providence Catholic Celtics’ success since I was named head coach.”

Plantz took over as the Celtics’ head coach in 2022 and went 35-19. He led Providence to a Class 4A runner-up finish in his first season and second place last fall in 5A.

The Celtics beat Carmel 31-7 on Friday night to improve to 4-0 and are set to take on Nazareth (1-3) at 6 p.m. Friday in LaGrange Park.

Offensive coordinator Adam Nissen has been named the Celtics’ interim head coach. Nissen joined the Celtics’ staff last season after serving as the head coach at St. Laurence from 2019 to 2024. He went 35-28 with the Vikings, leading them to a Class 4A runner-up finish in 2023.