Brands discusses Erekson's injury status

Hawkeye All-American heavyweight Dan Erekson underwent surgery earlier this week to repair a torn pectoral muscle suffered in practice last week.

Erekson told media outlets that he suffered the injury during practice. He has already received treatment and is undergoing rehab.

“It's fixed,” Brands said. “He's rehabbing and getting stronger every day. Every minute is a minute healed. We're making progress.”

Brands said Erekson was released from the hospital Tuesday and was even in the practice room Wednesday. Brands did not elaborate on when Erekson would return to the lineup, but would likely be replaced by sophomores Blake Rasing or Jordan Johnson. He did note that doctors' and trainers' reports are positive and they will be smart with his progress.

“Timelines are funny because we've had guys who have skewed those timelines where they rewrote medical history, so to speak,” said Brands, noting former Hawkeye Mark Perry's return from a knee injury his senior season. “We have time.”

Brands described Erekson as being upbeat and that he is eager to heal and get back to action as soon as possible. The 6-foot-3 senior posted a 27-8 record last year, placing fourth at the NCAA tournament in March.

“It's like now that I can't do it I realize how much I miss it and I think he's in that boat,” Brands said. “It's a lesson for everybody to come with that eagerness everyday because you don't know what is going to happen.

“You don't know what's going to happen so make your legacy now.”