AUBURN | Bryan Harsin competed a big step Thursday by completing his on-field staff with the hire of outside linebackers arch and special teams coordinator Bert Watts.

But the foundation of his Auburn program came with his first major hire more than two weeks ago in head strength and conditioning coach Jeff Pitman.

“No. 1, the workouts, that’s the foundation. Work, hard work, that’s the foundation. It all starts there,” Harsin said. “We can put together a great plan, but if we don’t have the work ethic behind it, there’s no plan you can put in place that is going to be successful if you don’t bring it every single day.”

Pitman worked on Harsin’s staff for the past eight years at Boise State and Arkansas State. The former walk-on at Boise State, earned a scholarship and then the starting center position for his final two seasons in 1991-92.

“Jeff brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in the strength program and development area and has designed and put together programs that I’ve been able to see in the past,” Harsin said. “Actually, I’ve experienced myself as a player, so I know what these guys are about to get ready for and the type of work they’re going to have to put in to be successful.

“A great developer, great with process, great with technique and certainly is the foundation of what we’re trying to build here at Auburn with our football program.”

Workouts are scheduled to get fully underway next week. It will be a very important time as Harsin and his staff create a culture that will be the basis of everything they do moving forward.

“That foundation built in the weight room is going to determine success as we move forward, because this is football,” Harsin said. “You build your mentality, you build your physicality, you build your discipline, all those things happen in the weight room and on that field and in conditioning. Before you go out there and cut it loose and have fun playing the game, you have to put in the work.”

For Harsin, it starts with players being on time and ready to go. In addition to workouts, players will have different tasks they’ll have to complete each day.

“There’s going to be tasks every day that we ask our guys to accomplish academically, athletically, socially — all the things we have to do in order to be successful every single day,” Harsin said. “That’s been communicated. Not all those in detail, but it has been communicated in the fact that there’s going to be things that we have to do every day to be successful.

“I think part of that message is just 1-0. For us, what that means is we have a day in front of us, and we want to win that day and stay focused on the things we have to do to accomplish those tasks and the way we are successful.”

Spring practice is scheduled to being in mid March.