TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron is front and center on this week's edition of Sports Illustrated, making it the 17th time a Crimson Tide player has been featured on the cover during the Nick Saban era.

The cover poses a simple question under the headline "KING CRIMSON:" Is it time to think about AJ McCarron as one of the best ever?

Sports Illustrated senior writer L. Jon Wertheim profiles McCarron in a story that looks back at the time when he was "a gunslinger with a hardscrabble past" and analyzes his run toward becoming one of the winningest quarterbacks in college football history.

The cover photo was shot just outside Bryant-Denny Stadium at Rama Jama's by Al Tielemans.



It's the third time this season Alabama has been featured on the cover, as running back T.J. Yeldon was featured on one of the magazine's regional covers for its college football preview edition and wide receiver Christion Jones graced the cover in September.



The magazine hits newstands and is able to be downloaded on iPads/Kindles/etc. today.