That part is the key. The main issue with Monken at Tech wouldn't have anything to do with the facts of it, what system he'll actually run or how good a coach he actually is or is not. The issue would entirely be with the perception of him. If we hire Monken after going through a coach specifically to get away from that offense, we could even retain Chip Long as OC with his offense and it wouldn't matter, no one outside our bubble would believe we aren't running Paul Johnson's triple option and it would take years to convince recruits and press otherwise (assuming we ever do).
A guy labeled as some sort of "option" could maybe be ok depending on circumstances as long as they aren't from the Johnson coaching tree.