MOULTRIE — Some time ago, Ryan Helms had decided he wanted to dive in the ultra-competitive Southeastern Conference.

And as he made visits to several of the schools, he found himself thinking, “How does this school compare to Tennessee.”

In the end, none did.

So before leaving last week to compete in the Junior Pan Am Diving Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Helms called Tennessee coach Dave Parrington to tell him he was coming to Knoxville next year.

“There is not a negative about Tennessee,” the Moss Farms diver said Tuesday before practice at the Moose Moss Aquatic Center.

“It’s got a nice campus. It’s really pretty up there. They are getting a new facility. They’ve got a good pre-med there. And Dave is a great coach.”

Helms is coming off a pair of second-place finishes on the two springboards in this year’s Junior National Diving Championships, qualifying for the Junior Pan Am team.

He also was second and third on the 3-meter and 1-meter boards at the East Junior Championships and was first and second on 1-meter and 3-meter at the Region 3 championships.

In February, he will seek his fourth straight state high school championship and was coveted by a number of the nation’s top diving programs.

Former Moss Farms teammate Lauryn McCalley, who also dove for Parring-ton and went on to become the NCAA Woman of the Year in 2005, “was a big help,” Helms said.

“She didn’t tell me just about Tennessee,” he said. “She gave me her non-biased opinion about all the schools.”

Helms, who also considered Georgia, Kentucky and Auburn, said he was glad he made his decision before he left for Puerto Rico.

Representing the U.S. for the first time in an international meet, Helms finished third on 3-meter and seventh on 1-meter.

“My scores were higher in Puerto Rico than they were at Nationals,” Helms said. “I was pleased with my performance.

“I could have done better. But this was my first meet with Team USA. It was a great experience for me.”