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 away 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 would tear 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.
College career
At Clemson, Ferrell suffered a hand injury that forced him to redshirt the 2015 season. Ferrell stood out as a freshman the following fall, sharing the team's defensive rookie of the year award with Dexter Lawrence after posting 50 tackles, 12.5 for loss, and six sacks in 15 starts. He made an impact in the ACC Championship Game and national semifinal for the eventual title-winners. His sophomore season was even more impressive. Ferrell was named first-team All-American by the Associated Press, first-team All-ACC by league coaches and a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end. Clemson coaches named him co-defensive player of the game in the team's loss to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The Tigers took care of business in 2018, beating Alabama in that year's national championship thanks in part to Ferrell's All-American play. The first-team All-ACC selection and winner of the Ted Hendricks Award racked up 53 stops, 19.5 for loss, 11.5 sacks, four pass breakups, and three forced fumbles in 15 starts. On January 13, 2018, Ferrell announced that he would return to Clemson for his junior season. On January 11, 2019, Ferrell announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.
College statistics
Professional career
Ferrell was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
