He played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, and was twice recognized as an All-American, including a unanimous selection in 2009.

He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the sixth overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, and also played for the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, and Carolina Panthers.

He was also named to the Rivals.com all-bowl team after holding Indiana's Greg Middleton, the NCAA's sack leader, without a tackle in the 2007 Insight Bowl victory.

[5] As a junior, Okung led Oklahoma State with 71 knockdown blocks, and was named a first-team all-conference selection by the coaches.

Against Texas on October 31, Okung held the Longhorn pass rush, including All-American candidate Sergio Kindle, without a quarterback sack.

According to Sports Illustrated's Tony Pauline, that performance "has solidified his projection as the top senior tackle" in the 2010 NFL Draft.

[10] On November 24, 2009, Okung was named one of three finalists for the 2009 Outland Trophy, alongside Mike Iupati and Ndamukong Suh.

[13] Despite tweaking his knee in practice earlier that week, Okung played in the 2010 Cotton Bowl Classic to end his career at Oklahoma State with a streak of 47 straight starts.

[24] Sports Illustrated′s Tony Pauline described Okung as "a complete offensive tackle with a large upside", who "stands out in pass protection while also dominating as a run blocker".

[25] The Kansas City Chiefs were believed to be one of the NFL teams to target Okung in the draft,[26] as well as the Washington Redskins.

He was considered among many football analysts as being a top 5 Left Tackle in the 2012–2013 season while contributing to an offense that featured C Max Unger, RB Marshawn Lynch, and QB Russell Wilson in the Pro Bowl too.

In the playoffs, the Seahawks beat both the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers to reach Super Bowl XLVIII.

The Seahawks beat both the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers to reach Super Bowl XLIX.

The Seahawks defeated the Minnesota Vikings 10–9 in the Wild Card game, but lost 31–24 in the Divisional round to the Panthers.

Following the end of his six-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks in 2016, Russell Okung opted to represent himself as a free agent in the NFL.

"[35] During his free agency, Okung met with the New York Giants,[36] Pittsburgh Steelers[37] and Detroit Lions,[38] was invited to visit with the San Francisco 49ers[39] and didn’t initially rule-out resigning with the Seattle Seahawks.

[54] In 2016, Okung co-founded the Greater Foundation, an organization that "aims to equip the next generation with the tools to reach their highest potential through mentoring and leadership development.

"[55][56] Through the Foundation and through other personal effort, Okung focuses on providing access and opportunity for underserved youth, particularly in the tech sector.