diff --git a/rteval-cmd b/rteval-cmd
index 4598ba514ddc..dcd06dc30ba4 100755
--- a/rteval-cmd
+++ b/rteval-cmd
@@ -37,8 +37,11 @@
 import sys
 import os
 import time
+import re
+import shutil
 import optparse
 import tempfile
+import requests
 import lxml.etree
 from rteval.Log import Log
 from rteval import RtEval, rtevalConfig
@@ -46,6 +49,7 @@ from rteval.modules.loads import LoadModules
 from rteval.modules.measurement import MeasurementModules
 from rteval.version import RTEVAL_VERSION
 from rteval.misc import invert_cpulist, compress_cpulist
+from rteval.modules.loads.kcompile import ModuleParameters
 
 def summarize(repfile, xslt):
     """ Summarize an already existing XML report """
@@ -158,6 +162,10 @@ def parse_options(cfg, parser, cmdargs):
     parser.add_option("-V", "--version", dest="rteval___version",
                       action='store_true', default=False,
                       help='print rteval version and exit')
+    parser.add_option("-S", "--source-download", dest="rteval___srcdownload",
+                        type="string", default=None, metavar="KERNEL_VERSION",
+                        help='download a source kernel from kernel.org')
+
 
     if not cmdargs:
         cmdargs = ["--help"]
@@ -254,6 +262,59 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
         measuremods.SetupModuleOptions(parser)
         cmd_args = parse_options(config, parser, sys.argv[1:])
 
+        # download kernel tarball
+        if rtevcfg.srcdownload:
+            logger.log(Log.DEBUG, f"Kernel Version to download = {rtevcfg.srcdownload}")
+
+            # handle a kernel version like linux-5.19-rc5
+            if 'rc' in rtevcfg.srcdownload:
+                kernel_prefix = re.search(r"\d{1,2}\.\d{1,3}\-[a-z]*\d{1,2}", rtevcfg.srcdownload).group(0)
+                url = "https://git.kernel.org/torvalds/t/"
+            else:
+                kernel_prefix = re.search(r"\d{1,2}\.\d{1,3}\.*\d{1,2}", rtevcfg.srcdownload).group(0)
+                major_version = re.search(r"\d{1,2}", kernel_prefix).group(0)
+                url = "https://kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v" + major_version + ".x/"
+
+
+            if rtevcfg.srcdownload.endswith(".gz") or 'rc' in rtevcfg.srcdownload:
+                rtevcfg.srcdownload = "linux-" + kernel_prefix + ".tar.gz"
+            else:
+                rtevcfg.srcdownload = "linux-" + kernel_prefix + ".tar.xz"
+            tarfl = os.path.join(rtevcfg.srcdir, rtevcfg.srcdownload)
+
+            # if default kernel packages with rteval-loads exists, do not download/overwrite
+            default_kernel_file = ModuleParameters().get('source').get('default')
+            if os.path.exists(tarfl):
+                if rtevcfg.srcdownload == default_kernel_file:
+                    sys.exit("Default kernel already exists, will not download")
+                prompt = input("Kernel already exists, download and overwrite anyways? (y/n)  ")
+                prompt = prompt.lower()
+                if prompt in ('no', 'n'):
+                    sys.exit("Exiting")
+                elif prompt in ('yes','y'):
+                    # backup the existing kernel in case it needs to be restored later
+                    shutil.move(tarfl, tarfl + ".bkup")
+                else:
+                    sys.exit("Invalid option. Exiting")
+
+            url = url + rtevcfg.srcdownload
+            print(f"Downloading kernel {url}")
+            downloaded_file = requests.get(url)
+            if downloaded_file.status_code != 200:
+                # restore the kernel file if it exists
+                if os.path.exists(tarfl + ".bkup"):
+                    shutil.move(tarfl + ".bkup", tarfl)
+                sys.exit(f"Could not download tar file {rtevcfg.srcdownload}, status code {downloaded_file.status_code}")
+            with open(tarfl, 'wb') as fd:
+                fd.write(downloaded_file.content)
+            logger.log(Log.DEBUG, f"Kernel source {rtevcfg.srcdownload} downloaded successfully")
+            logger.log(Log.DEBUG, f"Downloaded to directory location: {rtevcfg.srcdir}")
+            # download was successful, delete the backup file if it exists
+            if os.path.exists(tarfl + ".bkup"):
+                os.remove(tarfl + ".bkup")
+            sys.exit(0)
+
+
         # if we only specified one set of cpus (loads or measurement)
         # default the other to the inverse of the specified list
         ldcfg = config.GetSection('loads')
diff --git a/rteval/rtevalConfig.py b/rteval/rtevalConfig.py
index 56bbc9ee0de6..decd36ed18ab 100644
--- a/rteval/rtevalConfig.py
+++ b/rteval/rtevalConfig.py
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ default_config = {
         'xslt_histogram': default_config_search(['rteval_histogram_raw.xsl'], os.path.isfile),
         'report_interval': '600',
         'logging'    : False,
+        'srcdownload': None,
         }
     }
 
