ANN ARBOR - Junior Hemingway is a cool dude, from his exaggerated dreadlocks to his relaxed and entertaining demeanor standing at the podium, to a name that evokes thoughts of a skilled, creative athlete.

Junior Hemingway, though, is part fiction.

"Everybody asks and I tell them my real name, and they're like, 'oh, your name's Kenneth?' I'm like, 'yeah, it's Kenneth,'" he said.

Kenneth Hemingway, standout receiver for the University of Michigan, could just as easily be Kenneth Hemingway, nationally-ranked World of Warcraft player.

A year ago Hemingway was one of the least popular members on the team, not because word got out of his real name, but because he was stricken by a contagious illness and was banned from the team's facility for about two months. Hemingway, who caught two touchdowns in UM's season-opening win over Western Michigan, woke up the Monday following the Wisconsin game last year, feeling weak and ill. He was diagnosed with mononucleosis, lost 10 pounds, and saw his sophomore season end after four games, the granting of a medical redshirt serving as the lone silver lining.

"It felt never ending, it was terrible," Hemingway said.

So imagine the euphoric feeling inside Hemingway when he twice torched the same WMU defender on his way to the end zone, finishing with five catches for 103 years. On his final catch Hemingway tweaked an ankle and did not participate in Wednesday's practice. In an injury report issued last night, Hemingway is listed as questionable for tomorrow's home game against No. 18 Notre Dame.

It's early in the season to be sure, but Hemingway (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) could represent the preferred passing option for Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson, which could expedite the growth of UM's freshmen signal callers.

"I've said several times his athleticism makes a difference out there for us," UM coach Rich Rodriguez said. "He's a big-play wide out. When he's not out there we miss him."

It's a mutual feeling as Hemingway said being left behind for away games last year was "unbearable" yet he remained involved by "texting all of the players before the games, telling them good luck, go play hard, and try to get the win."

Mononucleosis cannot be contracted through text messaging or any other activity that does not require the exchanging of bodily fluids. Still, it took some convincing from Hemingway to let his teammates - specifically roommate Mike Williams - know they were in the clear from catching the disease.

"At first [Williams] was kind of tripping out about it, but I told him you can't get it unless [there's an exchange] of saliva," Hemingway said.

Now healthy, defensive coordinators must be conscious of Hemingway.

MINOR PROBABLE: After missing the WMU game, tailback Brandon Minor (ankle) is listed as questionable for tomorrow. Missing from action will be Nader Furrha (shoulder), Tim McAvoy (knee) and Fitzgerald Toussaint (shoulder).