SportsLine wire reports
April 13, 1999

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A confident Florida wide receiver strolled into the south end zone film room wearing a gold chain around his neck and sunglasses over his eyes, waiting to answer questions.

When the questions came, he reflected on his performance confidently, pointing out the flaws in an otherwise solid performance.

"I could have done better," he said. "I missed a couple key blocks. I'm not happy but I'm pretty satisfied."

IT WAS NOT TRAVIS TAYLOR. Nor was it Darrell Jackson. This time, the confident wide receiver was Steve Shipp.

The same receiver that came to UF two years ago after earning Parade All-America honors in high school. The same receiver that struggled with the intricacies of the UF offense, watching Taylor and Jackson become regulars.

Shipp never lacked confidence. This time, however, he finally expressed it on the field.

On Saturday, the sophomore caught three passes for 94 yards in the Orange and Blue game.

"Steve Shipp obviously had his biggest day as a Gator," UF coach Steve Spurrier said.

THE CHARLOTTE, N.C., NATIVE NEVER doubted he would contribute to the Fun N' Gun's arsenal. He just did not anticipate it would take this long.

Shipp was the prize of UF's 1996 receiver class. After catching 76 passes for 1,340 and 12 touchdowns as a senior at West Charlotte High, he garnered All-America awards from USA Today, Parade and SuperPrep. Prep-Star named Shipp the nation's top wide receiver.

With the hype surrounding his abilities mounting, the 6-foot-1, 193-pound Shipp listened.

"I got caught up in all of that," Shipp said. "I was thinking that I was Mr. Hot Man, Mr. Big Shipp and all this, but got down here and got my feelings hurt real quick.

"I had to adjust down here. It seems I had to learn the fundamentals all over."

AT ONE POINT, HE THOUGHT about going home. The thoughts were not based on football, Shipp said, but being miles away from his family.

However, they did not last and he continued to practice.

But as Taylor and Jackson's stature as reliable receivers rose, Shipp's stature sunk.

Last year, as a redshirt freshman, Shipp caught just one pass for minus-4 yards in what was usually mop-up duty in six games.

"The things that people expected, that's what kind of messed me up," Shipp said.

THIS SPRING BEGAN WITH Florida's depth at receiver in question. Shipp became more comfortable with the offense, helping to solidify a young group. He finally had caught on.

"Now I'm more relaxed with it," Shipp said. "I was helping some of the younger players. It blew me away because I was them just a year ago." Though he is far from perfecting the UF offense and lacks game experience, one thing is certain.

Shipp has gained a little confidence.

"Everybody knew I could catch a football. I just didn't do it," Shipp said. "I showed them I could still do it and I'm still around.

"Don't forget about old Shipp. He's still here."