Clayton Snyder was born in Los Angeles, California to Glenda Pack and Steve Snyder. He has two older brothers, Doug and Devin, and graduated from Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, California as senior class vice-president in June 2006. He then attended Pepperdine University and was a member of the water polo team from 2006-2009, and earned All-America Honorable Mention as a senior in 2009.