Son to Cleavester and Faye Ferrell, both in the military. Ferrell has four brothers and four sisters, all at least 10 years older than him. His parents enrolled Clelin at Benedictine College Preparatory, a private military academy in Richmond, Virginia, because they believed that he needed some more structure. Clelin’s father, Cleavester, died from cancer in March 2012, when Clelin was a freshman in high school. The entire Benedictine junior varsity team attended the funeral to show their support. Clelin committed to play college football at Clemson nearly three months before he tore his ACL, which caused him to miss his senior football season. Ferrell was still ranked as the fifth best prospect in the state, the seventh best weak-side defensive end, and the No. 101 prospect in the country by 247 Sports.
