CHAPEL HILL – There are dozens of well-known popular make-you-stronger sayings in American culture.

A popular one was written by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in 1888 that reads, “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”

Corny to some, there is some truth in those words. Hardships can be lessons, and those who go through them can come out on the other end much better for having been through those experiences.

William Barnes is a college football player at North Carolina, and perhaps he hasn’t gone through earth-shattering heartache or weathered a disaster that was demonstrably life-altering, but he has been through some struggles since arriving at UNC in the summer of 2018. And Barnes has managed to find his way out with a clearer vision and perspective on things now and moving forward.

“With the challenges of my first two years, there were some personal issues I was going through,” Barnes explained, outlining why he didn’t live up to early expectations playing for the Tar Heels. “And also, talking with the coaches, not being consistent and (it) being in my head every day and not putting in the work that I needed to out on the field, that the coaches were trying to give me a chance.

“It also came with maturity. After we started spring ball, I just wanted to keep going and keep pushing and stay in the film room with coach.

The personal stuff Barnes went through is nobody’s business but his, but the effect on the football field was fairly easy to see.

A native of Apopka, FL, Barnes was one of the top high school offensive linemen in the nation in his class and was the jewel of Carolina’s class of 2018. Early on, he was everything the former staff hoped for.

Barnes played 41 snaps at guard in his UNC debut as a true freshman, a game the Tar Heels lost at California. A week later, he played 48 snaps on another loss, this time at East Carolina. But an injury slowed him and gained weight was an even bigger problem, so Barnes has played just 127 snaps since.

The word on Barnes after Mack Brown took over following that season was that Barnes was overweight, and later consistency was the issue at hand. He got healthier, and then he simply had to get better.

Brown was rather clear in the spring that Barnes is now someone the staff can rely on. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo is penciling him into the rotation.

“This year right now with the emergence of William Barnes, I think we are adding to the depth of the offensive line room,” Longo said.

Barnes is the second-team right offensive tackle but also rotating around some. He has played guard for the most part in his game reps, so his versatility is an asset for the Tar Heels. But Barnes has only become a trusted player because he fought through those early struggles.

Just losing weight alone was a major challenge. It is not easy considering the requirements for size and strength in the trenches. But Barnes swatted away part of what was holding him back and it is clearly paying off.

“I feel like losing weight was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do while I was here, because like all big men, I love eating,” Barnes said. “It was really difficult to stay on the routine the trainers were giving me.

“But once I learned that I had to do this for more than myself, I started thinking about my family, my teammates who are all depending on me, it kind of just sunk in that I had to get right and had to start eating right. And it just got easier from there, and that’s what got me down to about 316 right now.”

So how did he do it?

“Big change I had to take out carbs,” Barnes said. “First, I had to go on a really low carb diet, and at one point I had to take it out completely because I was just eating carbs all the time. Kind of like how it is on the field, just staying consistent with my meals and how I eat and how I talk to my trainer about what’s best for me.”

Low carb meaning ditching the starches and sugars, staying mainly on meats, cheeses, certain vegetables, fruits, nuts, and very light grains.

Barnes ended up redshirting in 2018, so he is a football junior. A key component to what Carolina’s staff hopes is an eight or even nine-man rotation this fall, Barnes is pegged as the likely starter at right tackle in 2022 after Jordan Tucker takes his game to the NFL.

But for now, he is continuing to work, grind, learn, and stay healthy. Barnes has been through a rough patch in his UNC career and come out on the other end with a healthy perspective and healthy everything.