Center Kohl Levao will miss a “significant part” of the Hawaii football team’s training camp because of an undisclosed injury, head coach Nick Rolovich confirmed on Wednesday.

Rolvich indicated Levao suffered the injury on Tuesday.

“We have to get a complete diagnosis, and get to a point on what his rehab is going to look like,” Rolovich said.

Rolovich is optimistic Levao will be back before the Aug. 24 opener against Arizona at Aloha Stadium. For now, Rolovich said, the anticipation is “he’ll be down for a significant part of training camp.”

In just a year in the UH program after transferring from City College of San Francisco, Levao has emerged as a team leader. He started at right tackle the first 11 games of the 2018 season before moving to center for the final three. Levao, who is 6 feet 6 and 330 pounds, recently was placed on the watch list for the Rimington Trophy as college football’s best center.

During Wednesday’s practice, the fifth of training camp, Solo Vaipulu moved from right guard to center. Micah Vanterpool was the right guard on the first-team offense.

Vaipulu was one of only four true freshmen to start every game on the offensive line in 2018. “He played center in high school,” Rolovich said of the Centennial High alumnus. “We’re getting him some reps there. He’s very smart for a young player. He’s moved into a leadership role. We’ve got to keep growing him.”

Rolovich said Eliki Tanuvasa, a Saint Louis School graduate who played at Eastern Illinois last year, and junior Taaga Tuulima are available to play center. “We’ve won games with Taaga,” Rolovich said of Tuulima, who has started 12 games the past two seasons.

Wednesday’s practice was the first in full pads for the Warriors this training camp. The defense made an early statement in the situational scrimmage. On the first play, nickelback Eugene Ford picked off a Cole McDonald pass. On the second play, defensive end Pumba Williams stormed the backfield for a sack.

“The defense looked really good,” Rolovich said. “And not just assignments and tackles and all that stuff. It’s the way they approached the period is why they won. They were ready.”

Ford said the defense was happy to put on the pads and take off the restrictions.

“All that tagging off,” Ford said, a reference to the previous no-pads, no-smacks rule, “we’re not used to that. We play football in full pads. It gives us a good feeling of what it’s going to be like in a game.”

The offense cobbled some big plays in the scrimmage-like session. Miles Reed, who is competing for an expanded role as running back, took a handoff from Chevan Cordeiro, scooted around left end and sprinted 45 yards for a touchdown.

“The O-line came out and did their job,” Reed said. “I’m nothing without them. The guys got out and ran and hit their landmarks and I just followed behind. It’s a little elephants on parade. I got a couple big guys out in front of me, hitting a couple linebackers. I had to duck inside. I’m kind of small (5-8, 190). I could hide behind those guys a little bit.”

Cordeiro and slotback James Phillips also teamed on a 70-yard scoring play.

“It was mostly the linemen,” Cordeiro said. “They blocked good, and they gave me time.”

Phillips said: “I had a good throw by Chevan. Chevan gave me a great ball.”

Phillips, who transferred from Mount San Jacinto College in January, praised the defense for an overall strong session.

“The defense had a great day,” Phillips said. “I actually like it when the defense has a great day because they make us better. When we’re going at it every day, we’re going to get better and they’re going to get better.”