I wonder how well Mulkey got to know Dave the year+ they were at Baylor

I doubt they had time to become best friends or anything, but they had to have crossed paths a few times. Regardless, she is the only one at LSU that could actually speak to how he handled himself as a HC, whether she thought he seemed to be in control of the program in whatever capacity she was privy to, even if it was just at alumni events, fundraisers, whatever.

Not that Scott would base his hire solely on her opinion, but she has a unique perspective that could be a nice resource to take advantage of, however small it may be. I doubt she was in a position to have been blown away by him Xs and Os wise, but she could have potentially seen things that led her to believe he could—or not—be ready to take on a job as big as LSU and the expectations that come with it. Just a thought.