Forced to attend school I signed NLI with?

It's not binding, if the financial offer is different. Talk to coach first and see if it can be fixed.

If not you should still be able to run at new school. Especially in this brave new world of multiple transfers, no sitting.

Once the National Letter or Intent is signed you can not compete for another school on scholarship the next academic year (that may not hold up anymore). You are also guaranteed that money for next year.

If the aid does not match the contract you need to take it up with your institution. Get this fixed and run for the school you signed with.

In terms.of the NLI, there is nothing to stop you from being a student (non athlete) at any institution.

Your HS coach should be familiar with the NLI process if they have gone through this before with other athletes they have coached and received scholarship offers. Otherwise, your HS Athletic Director might be helpful from working with coaches in other sports. Talking to the coach who recruited you to clarify this is also a good idea.

as i understand it, you can (a) run for a non-NLI school (D3, NAIA, juco, some D2, ivy, military academies) or (b) ask for a complete release by the school with which you signed a NLI. if granted a release, you can sign at any school, NLI or not. if denied, you either tough it out or lose the year like a transfer. you do the one year and your NLI is fulfilled.

[side critique: why are they losing a year if normal transfers no longer lose a year?]

i would hand your coach the lousy financial aid offer and ask what are we going to do about this, explain how far it is from reasonable in terms of affordability, and perhaps give him better aid offers from other schools. ask him to fix it, either financial aid office or you need more help. if he can't help, then that is also the groundwork for asking for a release. you basically say, i can't afford that gap, we talked about a far better offer, please give me a release.

you can appeal a denial under extenuating circumstances. that goes to a NLI committee. you'd submit the same sort of stuff, here's our income, here's what this school and others offered, here's how out of whack it is, i can't afford this.

gather up W2/FAFSA/financial aid offers. give your coach a shot. he turns you down, take action, and while you're doing it, apply other places or try and revive the old ones. if you don't want to sit a year or wait on an appeal, it has to be out of most of the NCAA scholarship schools.

You are out of luck. You signed the NLI.

OP, you signed your life on that line. Not only can you not run for another school, but you can never run again, period. Try it and see what happens when you wake up on a Saturday in June of next year and try to get in an easy 3 miles. I’ll have my robot dogs break your legs and we’ll haul you in!