ANDY SHUPE Northwest Arkansas Times Arkansas sophomore tight end D. J. Williams, center, is tackled by Tulsa sophomore linebacker Tanner Antle (40 ) and senior safety Roy Roberts during the first half of the Hogs ’ 30-23 win Nov. 1 in Razorback Stadium.

D. J. Williams’ stunning season has captured national notice.

The University Arkansas sophomore from Central Arkansas Christian has been named one of eight semifinalists for the John Mackey Award, the award presented annually to the nation’s best collegiate tight end.

Leading the SEC in pass receptions among tight ends, 48 catches for 613 yards and 2 touchdowns, Williams is the lone sophomore among otherwise all senior or junior Mackey Award semifinalists Jared Cook, South Carolina; Chase Coffman, Missouri; Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma; Mark Hafner, Houston; Branden Ledbetter, Western Michigan; Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State and Dennis Pitta, Brigham Young University.

Three finalists will be announced next week with the winner announced Dec. 11 in Orlando, Fla.

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“ He’s had a terrific year, ” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said Monday. “ He’s been our go-to guy. He’s the guy that’s had the big plays and a lot of third-down conversions. When D. J. is full speed healthy, he can run routes with anybody. He has great hands, and the thing he’s shown throughout the year is his ability to run after the catch and break tackles, made big plays, and really help us. ”

Though only a sophomore not used that much as a freshman in last year’s running back oriented offense, Williams earned instant respect from his teammates upon establishing himself as the team’s premier receiver last spring, junior wide receiver Lucas Miller said.

“ He knows the playbook, and he knows how to read defenses, ” Miller said. “ He has great speed for a tight end and he’s tough and he gets after it. And he’s a guy you really respect on the field. And when he talks, he’s a guy you definitely listen to. ”

Senior center Jonathan Luigs, a two-time All-American and last year’s Rimington Award winner as the nation’s outstanding center, said Williams always is a passinggame factor even if he’s not always thrown the pass.

“ The tight end really gets into the action on playaction passes with his ability to block and the linebackers not knowing whether he’s blocking or going out on a route, ” Luigs said. “ So, the more you can mix things up front, the way he’s able to use his speed to get separation really helps us. ”

Luigs said Williams confounds conventional thinking on pass defense versus the tight end.

“ He creates some mismatches, ” Luigs said. “ You wouldn’t think a tight end and a linebacker would be a mismatch, but he has that speed. and he has the ability to make, not necessarily make people miss, but to fight off tackles. His doubledigit catches the past few weeks [10 for 129 against Ole Miss and 10 the past 2 games with 6 for 129 against Tulsa and 4 for 40 against South Carolina ] has really sparked the offense and helped us get things going. It’s just an honor for him to be on that list. ”